Secrets of the Realm of Shadows
by Demiyah
Summary: HIATUS - Haruna escaped her home without goodbye, her actions lead her to encounter Sesshomaru. Around the same time a new threat arises from the Realm of Shadows. The board is set, the pieces in motion. What has fate in store for them? Will they be able to solve the puzzles from the past in order to overcome this threat? What lurks in the Shadows...Sesshomaru x OC
1. Chapter 1: The Hunted

Alternate Summary:

Haruna has made a decision: she's going to lead life her own way for once! Unknowingly her decision sets a lot in movement... be it for good or bad. She quickly discovers it's not so easy to cut ties with her past. Her actions lead her to encounter Lord Sesshomaru, and around the same time a threat arises from the Realm of Shadows. A threat that only existed in legend until it managed to enter the feudal era once again... Haruna and Sesshomaru find themselves battling the dangers from the Realm of Shadows, but do regular fighting methods work? Destiny forces them to work together, and Haruna slowly becomes aware of her growing feelings for the stoic demon. Can love blossom between them? One thing is for sure, they need to solve the puzzles from the past in order to overcome their enemies before it's too late...

A/N: this story takes place about 2 years after Kagome returned to the feudal era, which would mean Kagome is about 20 and Rin about 13 years old. Although it's also going to be a romantic story, Sesshomaru isn't the hot blooded casanova that would easily fall for a woman, let alone a human. This story will focus on adventure and character development and relationships will be established gradually. There will be plenty of action, sometimes gore, as events proceed it will get more romantic. Read on if you're curious what lurks in the shadows...

**Hope you enjoy the story, please give me feedback!**

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Chapter One

"She's getting away, catch her!" a man shouted.

It was nighttime and the sky growled with the foreboding of thunder, the air was heavy with the scent of the oncoming rain. A group of men carrying torches hurried their way through the thicket, carrying pitchforks and other utensils to hunt down their prey. The girl panted heavily as she tried to stay ahead of the torchlights, minding her feet not to trip over the exposed roots of the trees. If she was caught it would be over. The foliage was getting thicker. She forced her way through a narrow path between two thorny bushes and scratched her legs and arms.

"I see her!" someone called out.

"There! There! Stop you witch!"

Her heart was pounding in her chest, pumping the blood through her veins. She felt no pain when she tripped over a rock and hurried to scramble back on her feet. All she could think of was survival, was finding a way to lose these men and hide! Hide for more nights and days until she would feel safe to come out of hiding. Anguish filled her heart. Even if she would escape from here… she wouldn't be out of peril… She could make out by the faint light of the torches back of her that the overgrowth grew thin ahead of her. A moment later she ran out of the forest and noticed a steep ledge in front of her that ended in a wild river that flew down from the mountain. She snapped her head to the right and left looking for an exit way, but from all sides were crackling noises of people running across the forest floor coming closer to where she stood. She could make out six…seven… no, eight dancing lights closing in. Then the men entered the clearing. She could feel their murderous intent filling the atmosphere.

"You rat! You can't escape now. We'll eradicate your evil from this world"

"N-no! It was an accident!" she replied, shaking her head. Unconsciously she was taking a few steps back.

"Hand over that katana!" it was the village head who spoke.

"No.. N-no that's…-"

"-If you won't hand it over, we'll take it by force!" The village head lurched forward towards her and threw a knife. She opened her eyes wide, shocked. A pain entered her side, opening the flesh and sinking in deeply. Her hand moved down in a reflex and her finger tips graced the hilt of the knife. She coughed and spat up blood. The villagers were stepping forward towards her, their faces twisted into scowls. The sky was roaring.

"I-I…" she croaked, taking another step back. Then suddenly the ground gave way and she felt herself losing balance. She threw her arms to the front, trying to take grab the ledge. The leader rushed forward wanting to grab her hand. But it was too late. In the dim light of the torches they saw her panic-filled face fall down into the darkness of the gurgling river. They could hear the splash of water and knew her body was being carried away.

"Shall we track her down the river, father?"

"The current is too swift and there is no riverbank she can wash up on for miles… She's dead," he replied, "the witch had what was coming for her".

A crack of thunder flashed across the heaven and the rain started to pour down.

"Let's hurry back home, your mother will be worried."

The rain drummed on the water surface while she was mowing her arms around to keep her head up. The river splashed its water into her mouth and nose while it drained the blood from her wound and the rain fell hard on her head. She felt the stabbing wound in her side and ignored the knife that was still embedded there. To her relief the katana was still attached to the leather strap on her back. If she could find something to hold on to… something… The sky lit up with the flashing thunder and she could make out the high rocky walls that were on each side of her, then the darkness returned.

'Don't strike!' she prayed, fearing the lightning.

The cold of the mountain water radiated through her limbs, numbing her muscles and the pain. An animalistic panic and urge to survive took over her senses. The sky cracked. She noticed a tree trunk which nearly passed her and without thinking kicked her legs and pushed her arms through the water to reach it. When she made it she couldn't haul her body on top because of the knife in her side. Instead she wrapped her arms around a half broken off branch and clung onto it for her dear life. Her mind went blank though her hands didn't lose their grip and she let herself get washed down the stream.

When she opened her eyes she noticed she was still holding onto that dead tree trunk. It took her a moment to realize she was no longer moving forward. They had gotten stuck between two rocks in a turn of the river. She averted her gaze to the sky and noticed that the morning sunlight seeped through gaps in the clouds and the rain had stopped. Her joints were stuck and her fingers were cramped. She felt her body was losing strength.

'If I stay in the water the wound will never close'.

Laboriously she moved to the side of the log towards a sandy shore, soon her feet were able to touch the bottom of the river and it was easier to wade to the land. She slouched with knees half bend from pain and lack of strength until she reached the field of grass beyond the shore where she carefully dropped on her knees and lowered herself to lay down on her back.

'If I remove this knife I will surely lose more blood, but if I let the wound close around the knife it won't heal right…'

The river's current was significantly calmer at this point of its track and the sound of the water combined with the rustling of tree leafs actually had a calming effect. A bee buzzed passed her head and birds chirped happily. Amidst all this life lay a dying creature, contemplating if she would spend her last moments right there, in the grass sullied with her blood, or moving on, likely in vain. Her mind began to run its own course...

"_I'm off to the Hishura temple, darling." A woman with deep brown hair that cascaded down her back said whilst crouching to look at her in the eyes. That face looked serene, at peace with the work she was set out to do. A small smile played on her lips as the woman used her fingers to brush a speck of dirt from the child's complexion._

_'Kaa-san... my mother...'_

_The young girl had her lips slightly parted and her chin turned towards her chest, looking with big eyes at her mother, as if to ask her when she would return. Her mother stroked her hair and kissed her cheek._

"_You be a good girl, listen well to what Kodama-sama tells you, I'll be back"._

_She stood up and the girls head came up to only three-fourth of her legs. The child raised her arms towards her mother and began to hop on her feet, wanting to get picked up. Mother was leaving, but she didn't want to be left behind, she didn't want to listen to Kodama-sama. But her mother only smiled and repeated what she said earlier "be a good girl" and "I'l be back tomorrow". She walked through the big white gate with red tiles onto the dirt path that led to wherever Hishura temple was. The toddler wanted to look at her mother's back until it disappeared out of sight, but was quickly taken by the hand by an elder woman who ignored her protests. She turned to face the old women and noticed it was actually a lizard demon with big yellow eyes and a dancing tongue._

'My mind's wavering, I'm falling asleep,' the young woman suddenly thought alarmed. Without noticing she had been recalling experiences from the past and was beginning to doze off. Her sleep deprived mind was starting to mix her memories with dream-like fiction.

"Okay, get up. Time to get up!" she scolded herself and pushed herself up with gritted teeth. If she was going to fall asleep, she might never wake up again.

'I need to find a doctor, or I need medicinal herbs that help stop the bleeding'.

She stumbled forward with one hand placed under the knife. She noticed the shore she had been washed upon was only a relatively narrow strip of land in between the high canyon walls. It looked like this place had been created throughout time when the river used to be wilder and eroded the rock away. Her heart almost sank into her shoes until her eyes spotted a point behind the trees where the stone walls suddenly weren't visible. It wasn't a very wide gap, but large enough to perhaps form a passage way. She continued onwards, pushing back the branches of the young trees and finding a way around large bushes until she came at the wall. It seemed she hadn't been walking in a straight line and followed the edge of the wall until it bended back into a passageway. She was lucky!

The height of the stone walls were steadily receding but were still too high to climb, the width of the canyon bottom had been growing which gave her more space for movement. The ground here was nearly arid, with only stiff grasses and leafless thorny bushes growing here and there. While moving forward she felt an increasingly intense demonic aura being emitted from within the canyon. There were probably several yokai hidden somewhere in the fissures of the canyon wall.

She smiled bitterly, 'perhaps it's karma?'.

She wiped her hand across her forehead and noticed she was sweating, she also started to feel a little fuzzy in her head.

'I shall continue,' she decided and kept walking forward.

After a while she felt as though she could see things move swiftly in the shadows from the corners of her eye, but she wasn't sure if it was her imagination. She felt clammy and the wound in her side throbbed. It was due to the fact she kept moving that the wound was still bleeding, but she had her mind intent on seeing how far she could come before she would collapse. There it was again, something black slithered passed that big rock over there, or didn't it? Nothing strange could be made out as soon as she averted her gaze to look more carefully. But she could feel it, the hairs standing up in her neck, giving a chill down her spine... Demonic aura. Suddenly she heard a loud high pitched scream and snapped her head towards where it came from. Something small and orange was falling over the ledge of the canyon leaving a trail of flowers and dust as she skidded across the surface of the steep wall... A young girl! Something behind her hissed. For a split second she felt bewildered, but then her legs started going towards the young girl. From the other side of the canyon a centipede larvae exposed itself from its hiding place. It's countless flexible legs carried it swiftly across the ground.

'I'm too slow! He'll get there first!' she realized.


	2. Chapter 2: To Save And Be Saved

Chapter Two

She picked up speed even though the pain in her chest was almost unbearable. The girl was rubbing her back and bum without realizing the danger she was in yet. The yokai raced towards her, but she was almost there, yet the demon would only need an instance to kill that child! Quickly she drew the sheathed sword from the leather straps attached to her back and jumped forward. Just in time! She drove the katana right into the head of the demon only a few feet removed from the girl. The young girl shrieked and shielded herself with her arms. The woman pulled out the sheathed katana from the spasming corps and saw how four or five more larvae crawled out of the fissures and sped towards them. The young girl yelped and called for someone, but she could barely make out a name, focused as she was on the danger in front of them. She pushed the child back closer to the wall and sat on the ground in front of her pulling out a rosary from her kimono sash. Holding the rosary with one hand she lifted her other with her middle and index finger raised while her other three fingers formed an 'o'. A barrier appeared around them, transparent but shimmery like a water bell. The yokai crashed with a crackling of lightning into the barrier and were repelled. She could feel her spiritual energy drop by the magnitude of the combined attack and coughed blood as though she had been physically assaulted.

"Girl, what's your name?" she croaked.

"Uhm... I'm Rin," the girl replied a little confused at the speed of all things happening.

"I'm Haruna. Listen, stay inside the barrier".

"You're... You're bleeding..." Rin spoke softly while repositioning herself.

"Don't worry about me Rin, it's okay," she replied.

'If I can save this child, perhaps my soul will be cleansed before I fade'.

The yokai were gathering for a new attack and Haruna braced herself. Four of the larvae crashed into the barrier simultaneously causing a ripple effect indicating the barrier had almost been interrupted.

'I can't loose to the likes of these yokai...' she told herself. But she felt woolly inside of her head and each time she blinked it was harder to raise her eyelids again. The demons clacked their pincer-like teeth in excitement and some ran a small circle. Fresh meat didn't often get this close to the nest and they had a chance to experiment their killing skills on weak prey while their mother was out hunting. Haruna began to mumble a prayer trying to strengthen her barrier, which seemed to work to an extent enough to hold these small fry demon off. She could feel more demonic aura nearing and hoped fervently those weren't the parents. Another larvae dared to move closer to the barrier by climbing the canyon wall and attacking from behind. It ended up falling on top of the barrier where the small flashes of lightning caused a smell of burn to rise from the demon before it was repelled. It shrieked and ran across the ground into a fissure to hide itself. For the moment the other larvae were put off. They seemed content in waiting until the human erecting the barrier would faint. They could smell her death approaching.

"My babies, I've come back!" a malevolent voice thundered. It was one of the aura's Haruna had felt. A large centipede with eight arms attached to a humanoid chest and head was running towards them carrying two dead oxes.

"Hmm? What's this?" she exclaimed noticing the two girls near the canyon wall whilst dropping the oxes. Her offspring immediately went after the dead animals their mother had brought back.

"I see, human vermin came into our home". She smiled broadly exposing rows of sharp teeth.

"Isn't that a nice dessert!"

She raised her body high above them, casting a shadow over their figures and then dove down. Her arm could reach some inches into the barrier but was brought to an halt. While sweat was rolling down her pale face Haruna was eying the centipede furiously. She gritted her teeth and put all her energy into the barrier in order to keep the demon out. Blood seeped out of her wound. The lightning which indicated the barrier was repelling the demon was crackling rapidly. In her heart Haruna knew this was the extent of her powers, she had been drained of all her resources to keep this barrier up. In fact, her eyes were glazing over and it felt as though her body was sinking. The sight of that menacing face filled with glistening teeth was becoming blurry. Rin shouted.

'Was that happy...? Was it my imagination...?'

She didn't see the green flash of a whip soaring through the sky.

'I feel so sleepy...'

A hand shot through the barrier, sparks flew around.

'The centipede?'

Her blurred vision made out slender clawed fingers and two purple stripes across the back of a hand, they grabbed the rosary.

'The barrier... it will not hold'

The rosary beads scattered all over the ground. The barrier began to fade. In a moment of clear thinking she saw the face of the centipede had been replaced by a calm, stern one with amber colored eyes. She stared into them but only after a second her eyes glazed over once more.

"Sesshomaru-sama!" Rin chirped happily before she rattled on about things that Haruna no longer registered. She felt suddenly aware of her body: her joints felt like rusted machinery, her chest rose when she inhaled... And somewhere in her mind she knew she fell over when she exhaled.

"Thank goodness, she is gaining consciousness."

Haruna murmured something inaudible and arduously lifted her eyelids.

"Get the doctor!" a voice exclaimed.

She turned her head towards the sound. It took a moment for her eyes to get used to the light but when they did she saw a young man sitting next to her, he seemed glad about something. He had a face she wasn't familiar with. All of a sudden she felt she had to sit upright and pushed herself up on an elbow, a jolt of pain shot through her side. Only then did Haruna notice she was lying on a futon.

"Please! Please lay down until the doctor comes! You're still injured," the young man made hand signs ushering her to lie back in bed and his face was now somewhat worried.

"Katana..." Haruna mumbled after complying.

"What? Oh... Katana? Yes, your katana is right here, standing against the wall with your other belongings," he pointed to her other side and she turned her head. Yes, he was right, there the katana was standing upright, the blade inside its rosewood sheath. The red ribbon that used to decorate it was missing, but other than that and a few scratches it looked fine.

'Who moved my katana?' she thought worried. She didn't have much more time to ponder over that question because someone hurriedly entered the room.

"Ikeda-sama!" the young man said and stood up to make room for the doctor. Ikeda placed a medical box on the tatami-mat close to Haruna and lowered himself onto the floor. He grabbed hold of her wrist and placed two fingers along her veins.

"Hmhmm... pulse is stronger..." he mumbled under his breath.

She got a good look at him: he was a man coming on age with heavy eyelids, a thin gray beard and a bald head. He wore a simple brown kimono top with a blue vest and pants in about the same color as the kimono.

He pushed open the eyelids of her right eye and stared into her pupil, then he leaned forward and smelled her breath. Finally, he pulled the covers from her body and carefully opened her kimono to reveal she was bandaged from her wast until an inch under her breasts, which were hidden by the kimono fabric.

"Hmm... getting better, getting better..." he continued mumbling under his breath while closing her kimono and covering Haruna up with the sheets.

"Well, well!" he sighed while he sat up-straight, "seems you have been blessed by Buddha! After we've found you on the edge of the village six days ago you've finally shown a remarkable recovery since two nights ago! You've stood at the gates of death and managed to return to the living. What's your name?"

Haruna kept silent for a moment.

"Yuna..." she replied with a whisper.

"Yuna-san, hmm? We've been feeding you broth, but you must be hungry. I'll let Setsuko fetch you some rice gruel. Eat slowly. Afterwards you must sleep more."

She nodded to signify she had understood.

"Hmhmm... Well, shobo-sama, will you please follow me? It would be better for Yuna-san's health if she would be left for now. Setsuko will be around to aid her."

"Ahh- hai!" the young man answered and then turned to Haruna with a small bow, "well, I'll be seeing you Yuna-san".

He followed the doctor out of the room and shortly after a middle aged woman entered carrying a steaming bowl of rice gruel.

"Hello dear, I'll help you eat," she told her with a soft smile.

'How did I end up with these nice people?' Haruna wondered. But there was Setsuko looking intently at her face, curious now that her patient had finally awoken. Haruna didn't dare to talk, she had al ready told them a lie and was afraid she would say too much. And because of that she remained silent and obediently ate the warm gruel that was given to her by Setsuko.

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A/N: perhaps by now someone might've noticed I'm not a native English speaker. If I made some mistakes please PM :)  
It's been ages since I uploaded anything on the internet, although writing stories has in the past been a big hobby of mine. I hope so far you like to read it! I am busy writing other chapters and you can expect me to update at least once a week.


	3. Chapter 3: New Acquaintances

Chapter Three

The next day Haruna woke up she found herself alone in the room. She took her time, staring at the ceiling. Minutes had passed and there could be no sounds heard from the house. She turned her face to the left. The katana was still where she had seen him the day before, unmoved, and so were her belongings wrapped in the blue and white specked linen cloth that she carried with her. She pushed herself upright and opened her kimono to inspect the bandaging: it seemed to have been done right. Her arm reached over to her belongings and she pulled the bundle closer to her.

'This has been all wet...' she remembered.

She opened the knot that kept the bundle closed to reveal the items she carried. There was a scroll sealed with a wax stamp. It looked like it had been stored for a long time because the paper had been yellowing except on the side where it touched a surface in the past. It was about 8 inches wide and 2 inches thick. Yellow strings decorated the sides of the wooden stick the scroll was rolled around. A sigh of relief went through her body.

'Good... it hasn't been damaged by the water'.

She knew the scroll was protected by a blessing by an honored priest, but feared the worst nonetheless. Besides the scroll there was her wallet, which kept a reasonable amount of money. There was also a small figurine of a female boddhisattva carved out of jade which was quite precious. She of course had clothing with her, in fact two kimono's, underwear and an apron. There was also a small stack of paper sheets with a flaxen rope holding them together which had turned into a pulp, the ink markings faded. There was also a small inkwell with a pen to match. And lastly, a pouch of rice and dried curry paste, completely ruined in the course of her ordeal.

'I'll ask someone to throw this away for me'.

She took out the ruined food and closed the bundle. Then she turned to the katana which was so important to her. On closer inspection she could see that luckily it did not need anymore attending besides some polishing of the wooden sheath. Her fingers trailed the lines of the hilt. For a moment she hesitated, wondering if she should take a look at het blade, but felt an unpleasant sensation in her fingertips coming from the sword and thus placed it back against the wall. At that moment Setsuko walked in.

"Owh, I see you're quite awake! The doctor is out gathering herbs, but when he comes back he'll want to take a look at that wound of yours. Perhaps you want my help dear, to get some fresh air?"

Haruna nodded in agreement.

"Uhm, thank you, Setsuko-san? …Right? Would you please throw away this spoiled food for me?" She pointed at the package of rice and curry paste.

"No problem! First let's get you to the porch, here, wear this padded coat".

She supported Haruna while they walked out of the room and entered a hallway which had sliding doors to three other chambers. The hallway ended into another room. There was the front door of the house. They exited the house where Setsuko helped her lower herself on the edge of the porch. For the first time she could have a look at the village where she had ended up. On the right side of her were other houses build in a similar fashion, some with porches and others not, each having large stones on their roof to help against hard winds. In front of her was a mildly hilly landscape: a large field of green with tufts of trees that reached the jagged mountains, whose feet were covered by thick forest stretching beyond the horizon. A river coiled and carved itself along the hills, a dirt path accompanying its track.

'It's quite peaceful here, I don't sense any demonic aura.'

The village had one main road which led to a larger and enclosed building, probably the house of the village leader. There the road ended into a T-junction, on each side of the dirtpath more houses were build. It was a medium-sized village. From a distance she could make out some people talking close to that stone and clay wall. She couldn't make out for sure, was that the guy who had watched over her the other day? The figures turned around and one pointed in her direction, the one she thought to recognize started to come her way. When he got closer she saw he was indeed that young man. His hair was tied in a knot on top of his head and even from a distance the shine of this outfit revealed it was made of good quality fabrics. Was he a member of the village head's family?

"Goodmorning Yuna-san!" he said when he reached her.

'Yuna-san, that's right… I lied about my name,' she thought in shock, she had almost forgotten about that.

"Goodmorning! Uhm, what was your name again?"

"We've not been formally introduced, I'm sorry. My name is Akira Shobo, son of the village leader."

She bowed her head in respect.

"Pleased to meet you, Shobo-san".

They exchanged the usual formalities and he inquired on her health, on which she answered he shouldn't be worried and that she was taken good care of.

"You know, it was I who had found you that day. See that gate of wooden poles over there?" he pointed to the west. A path had been cleared there through the woods with a gate marking it.

"You were unconscious and your clothes were stained with blood from your wound, next to that you were cold as stone. I commanded the other village men to help me carry you to the doctor's house, but we all feared it was too late. You have guardian spirits watching over you."

"Ah… I see…" Haruna replied, feeling uncomfortable.

"I may be indiscrete to ask, but what happened?"

"Ah… well… that katana, you see. It's a family heirloom with a lot of history. I was chased down because of that and… I got stabbed. I fell into a river which seemed ultimately my luck, since I could shake my pursuers off. Probably they think I'm dead. I wandered through the wilderness… and I-I don't know. It's confusing after that, I don't remember reaching that gate."

"Bandits chased you down?" Akira exclaimed shocked, "what an awful experience."

"Hmm… yeah…" she answered distantly. Akira had jumped to an early conclusion, thinking she was chased by bandits. It could be a good cover as to why she was injured, should she go along with this story? Her mind was racing. She was sure that there were other people still looking for her and now that she was unable to travel she was an easy target.

"At first they seemed like a group of monks, but that was just a disguise to earn trust of passengers. They caught me by surprise."

"What a loathsome thing to do! Bandits dressed as monks! This is serious news… I shall inform my father later, perhaps we should warn the neighboring villages."

"Ah… that's necessary?" she replied laughing sheepishly.

"Of course! They might offer these men lodging while they are bandits! Why? Are you worried they will come for you? Is that it?" he was starting to get worked up, "don't worry Yuna-san, now we can prepare ourselves for an assault, we have enough trained men here to protect ourselves."

"Ah, but I can't let you be in danger because of me, I will have to leave soon…"

"Leave soon?" another voice spoke before Akira could come up with objections. They both turned around to see that Ikeda had returned.

"Do you understand? You're still suffering from the after effects of anemia and your wound is difficult to heal. I had to use an experimental medical technique to close the wound. Without supervision of your recovery its likely to infect or re-open. You've had damage to your internal organs. You can't leave soon at all, if you know what's best for yourself you'll stay here until I tell you you're healthy."

'It's that serious?' she absentmindedly pressed her hand softly on the wound. Well, after what she has been through, should she be surprised? A feeling doomed up she might need weeks of revalidation, it scared her. Akira mentioned she had been found by that gate. How did she get there? She remembered she was walking through a canyon and there were _yokai_… and there was a girl. That girl! What happened to that child? Was she okay?

"You didn't happen to find a young girl with me, did you? Around the age of twelve?" she suddenly exclaimed.

"Ehh, no…" Akira answered in surprise, "did you loose someone?"

"Ahh, I don't know," she answered and clutched her forehead. "I think I was with a young girl dressed in an orange kimono. She didn't look like a common villager. There are gaps in my memory, I can't remember clearly what happened."

"Hmhmm, I think that's enough for today. You mustn't stress yourself Yuna-san. Let me help you get to bed."

Ikeda got onto the porch and put his arm under that of the young woman and around her back.

"You can come tomorrow to check up on her if you would like, Shobo-sama," he said over his shoulder. "If you will excuse me".

"Sure," Akira replied. He stared at Yuna's back and saw how hard it was for her to walk, she was panting from the pain of the effort. A worried frown appeared on his forehead. Something about this woman made him want to take care of her. He felt responsible because he was the one who found her. If it wasn't for him taking a stroll along the border of the village... He shook his head. Right now he had to find his father and tell him of the news Yuna brought.

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A/N: No Sesshomaru in this chapter, but His Elusiveness will appear in upcoming chapters. I'm trying to get to some point in the story before he and Haruna will properly meet and eventually team up. Can't wait for Jaken, I think he's so funny. Next chapter will be a bit longer and Kagome, Inuyasha etc. will have their first appearance in the story. Will update soon!


	4. Chapter 4: The Katana And The Monks

Chapter Four

Akira was overseeing the building of a new shed for the livestock. Two months had passed and the stranger his village harbored had recovered enough to be able to walk independently through the village. He had made it a habit to visit her a few times a week, if he could spare the time. They would drink tea together and talk about life in the village. But she kept evading questions that probed too deep into her past. He figured she had to work out some painful memories. It didn't suit the future village leader, but he couldn't help she sprang into his mind on different occasions.

"Is this fine, Shobo-sama?" one of the village men asked him, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. They had just finished marking where the foundations of the shed would be driven into the earth. Akira turned to watch.

"Yes, good, good," he said throwing a quick glance on their progress. The workers gave him an odd look but he didn't notice. Yuna was walking down the fenced path alongside of the soy plant fields together with Setsuko and he watched her.

"Yuna-san, Ikeda-sama has told me you're almost healthy enough to travel on your own again. What will you do?" the middle-aged woman wearing the auburn kimono asked.  
"I don't know, there isn't a place I have to go to," Haruna replied.

"You mean you have no family waiting for you?"

"Nah!" she shook her head no. She stared down to her hands, neatly folded on top of each other and resting on the fabric of her white apron which she wore on top of her gray and violet kimono.

"A while ago you seemed very eager to leave..."

"Well..." Haruna started with a sigh while she stopped walking. She looked out over the soy fields. In the distance a farmer worked on his land. The sun was starting to hang low in the sky.  
"Everyone here worked hard to take care of my health, to provide me food and shelter. I've gotten to learn the villagers and this is a nice place. Perhaps, after all that's happened, it would be a good decision to settle here for a while and work to repay all the gifts I have received."

Setsuko smiled, "I understand your feelings."

She looked past Haruna's shoulder and saw that Akira looked at them. Akira, noticing he was caught by the older woman quickly turned towards the village workers to continue supervising them again. He was glad they were far away, because he could feel his face become a little warmer than normal.

"Hmm? Is there something going on?" Haruna asked, looking over her shoulder to see what Setsuko was looking at. She saw nothing special, just the workers building their shed.

"No dear, nothing," the woman replied smiling. At that moment Ikeda came running towards them.

"Yuna-san! Yuna-san!" he shouted. Both of the women looked at him in surprise. He seemed quite spooked by something.

"Yuna-san," he panted, "your katana, it started trembling on its own, go check!"

"What?" she exclaimed. She instantly began to run towards the infirmary. Akira was watching the three hurrying back to the village.

"You told Shobo-sama its a family heirloom, right? Has it been possessed by some spirit?" Ikeda asked.

"N-not that I know of," she replied the doctor. They hurried down the main road of the village. When she got inside the doctor's house she slammed the shoji door open to enter her room. There the katana was, lying on the floor glowing red as metal held in fire. Smoke trailed from the tatami mat which was starting to burn. The katana was shaking in it's sheath. Did it want to be released?

"What's that sign?" Setsuko exclaimed alarmed, but she already understood its meaning and eyed Haruna curiously. The kanji sign for "seal" which had been previously hidden had appeared as a white light on the wood of the katana. The tatami mat was charring under the katana and smoldered red. A fire could burst up from it any moment. Haruna flung herself forward and grabbed the angrily glowing hilt.

"Yuna-san!" doctor Ikeda called out. Her face contorted with pain. She stared with gritted teeth at her trembling hand which she clenched around the hilt of the katana. A small line of smoke came up from the sword and slowly the glowing diminished, as did the shaking. Setsuko had rushed outdoor and came back with a bucket of water which she threw without hesitation right over Haruna's arm and the spot where the tatami mat was burned. Haruna got startled by the sudden splash of cold water and turned her head towards the worried faces of Setsuko and Ikeda.

"I'll call for lord Shobo," Ikeda muttered.

She felt sure she had to explain some things to them now.

* * *

The atmosphere was tensed. She had stayed inside the doctor's house waiting with Setsuko in silence until Ikeda would return with the village head. Setsuko threw her a look every now and then. Haruna had her eyes fixed straight in front of her but knew Setsuko was looking for clues on her face. Villagers didn't like things that reeked of demon's and sorcery. Would they think the sword was possessed by a demon? It would only be natural to do so. Would the other villagers after learning what happened ask her to leave? It wouldn't surprise her. And then hold a big ceremony to cleanse the village, yes. And their friendly hearts turning a little more suspicious towards strangers keeping family heirlooms. Her heart was pounding while her head was trying to come up with all kinds of possible scenario's about what was going to happen next. She hoped it wouldn't turn out this way, but didn't know what to say that would keep her name clean of suspicion. She had lied about more than one thing and didn't know if this was the right moment to tell the truth. The sound of footsteps on the porch disturbed her troubled thoughts. She looked anxiously at the shoji sliding wall. There the village leader Aratamaru Shobo walked in, followed by his son Akira and doctor Ikeda. She hadn't seen the village head on many occasions, he mostly ran the village from inside his house. Perhaps it was to give Akira the opportunity to gain experience by overseeing the village and communicating with the villagers. He had prying eyes under a bushy brow. Although his face looked stern and hard. Although he might've been atletic in his younger years, his waist was now quite round and he was the smallest of the three men in the room. The way he limped betrayed he got injured to his left knee in the past. It was clear however he paid no heed to it any longer.

"You seem to understand something of what happened here," he said, "please explain."

Haruna swallowed but her mouth felt a little dry. What was she going to say?

"This sword is a family heirloom. A powerful spell has been carved into the blade. Legend says that anyone who wields it who isn't entitled to do so will die upon drawing the sword from it's sheath. Those who have it in them to draw the katana are blessed with great power."

Setsuko noticeably drew in her breath.

"Are you able to wield it?" Aratamaru continued.

"No, I'm not. I'm able to draw out the sword, but it causes me great pain..."

"I heard the story that bandits dressed as priests gave you that injury. But why are you carrying a sword like that around on your own? How come you haven't returned to your village now that you are better? And where do you come from?"

Damn! Why all these difficult questions?

"It's because..." she started, "I'm alone because... When we offered these disguised bandits lodging for the night I was the first one to notice they were trying to raid the shrine in which we kept the sword. I could reach it before them and was chased down, cut off from the rest of my village. I got injured and fell off a cliff into the river. I lived in Yamanakako, next to a big lake."

'Only half truths. Will I ever be able to tell the truth to these nice people? Not as long as the others are looking for me...'

"The reason why I haven't returned is because I believe that's what they'd expect me to do, if I were alive. Perhaps it's better they think I'm dead. I'm just a single woman, what can I do against them if they were to ambush me on the road. I'm afraid they find me... I just haven't figured out what my next move is..."

'At least that's close to the truth...'

She could see Akira was moved by her story, he was eager to believe her. His father's face had seemed a little surprised. He was definitely more skeptical than his son.

'Yamanakako... that's near Mount Fuji if I'm not mistaken. That means she has traveled about two hundred miles to get here!' he looked at her intensely.

If she wasn't lying about those bandits it could be dangerous to let her stay in the village. His eyes trailed to the burn mark in the tatami-mat. One thing was for sure, the girl was not lying that this katana had strange powers. Did he want such a dangerous weapon in his village? But according to doctor Ikeda he was ready for another student to become physician and he thought she had potential. Doctor was a valuable profession in this era. Was it worth taking the risk? And then there were Akira's feelings to consider, he had become aware of his son's fondness for this girl. Aratamaru had never been a man who liked to make quick decisions. He liked to consider all the possibilities in order to decide which would be most beneficial to him and the village. But he was startled from his musing by the sound of his son's voice.

"Don't worry Yuna-san, you don't have to run, we can protect you!" he said it from the heart, but then remembered his father was present. "Ah, forgive me _chichi-ue_, I shouldn't have spoken." He bowed down before his father to show his respect. The village leader held his hand up, gesturing his son to stop.

"Akira, it's fine. For now we will offer this woman protection, until I've given this more consideration. But remember, it's unwise to make decisions in the heat of the moment."

"You are right father, I will remember," Akira said, bowing again.

"We shall take our leave now," Aratamaru said, meaning himself and Akira would both go, "I have much to think about."

* * *

Some people had noticed something happened in the doctor's house and came to Aratamaru with questions. The village leader had the obligation to inform the villagers of what happened in the doctor's house and did so immediately. Some hard words fell from those afraid by the unknown threat. Some people talked about sending her away. A few villagers had come together at the town square in front of the chief's house to discuss the matter around a fire, and soon the laden atmosphere had turned more enjoyable by the introduction of beer and sake to the meeting. Haruna heard their laughter and saw them having a good time but decided she wouldn't join them now. She sat on the porch with one knee pulled up and her back against the house's wall. Her katana rested between her legs against her chest. There were few clouds and the moon shone bright, illuminating the village. The stars were far away, but staring at them for so long made it seem as if she could touch them if she would just stretch out her hand. But to touch the sky one needs power. The hilt and sheath of her katana had turned icy cold in the night's cool.

'Did I make the right decision to leave home? Should I have just obeyed orders? I want to make my own future... Just like mom once did.'

She remembered the angry villagers that chased her down. After living for so many weeks in this peaceful village that seemed like from a bad dream. She wished it was just a nightmare, but it actually happened. She had made a terrible mistake in a village she had came across. She was already a runaway when she had entered that town and heard they had an excellent blacksmith. Back then she had already carried this same katana, but wanted some adjustments to it. She had given the blacksmith instructions, without knowing it could be dangerous. It was ironic in a way that he would die upon drawing out the katana when it was finished. In that moment it was clear he had done a fine job, living up to his reputation as an expert blacksmith. The spell that had been put on the katana killed those unworthy to wield, those with darkness in their hearts and those without spirituality. And apparently he fitted in that category. Thus the town lost a good blacksmith but a bad person. She didn't want to remember what it looked like when he drew the katana... all the blood... Haruna was alone with him in his working station when it happened and no one truly believed her story. She was blamed for his death and accused of murder. And the katana... truth was, she took a risk and didn't fully understand the sword's new properties or potential.

A shadow passed in front of the moon and she could hear a faint roar. A two-headed dragon in the sky? She squinted her eyes to guess the distance. Not that far away... Something flew beside it with a long white tail.

An image flashed into her mind: a slender pale skinned and purple striped hand... Amber colored eyes framed by silver hair...

'Who was that? I think I was saved by someone like that.'

* * *

Meanwhile somewhere else in Japan...

"Look Kagome! There is a group of people carrying lampions nearing the village!" Shippo exclaimed pointing at a place in the distance. It was true, Kagome now saw them too. They were sitting together on the porch of the house she, Inuyasha and Shippo shared.

"We should get down there and see who they are," Kagome replied him.

"Inuyasha! There are people coming this way, I'm going to meet them!" she called over her shoulder to the halfdemon who was lying on the floor in their house.

"Keh! They're probably just travelers," he huffed.

'That means he's not coming.'

She ignored him and got up with Shippo to walk down the path towards the village edge. On their way they met Miroku.

"Travelers at this hour, that's uncommon," he said. Kagome nodded in return. As they made their way closer to the group they could make out their features in the dim light of the lampions. There were seven monks, six of them walking in pairs behind one who appeared to be the highest monk in rank. He wore a headband covered by a straw hat. In his right hand was a copper staff, the top was a round circle with flames that made it look like a sun. In the middle was a copper eye with a purple gem, nearly black, as iris, it shimmered in the light. It looked like an unusual artifact. They were all dressed in purple robes but carried a white band around their right shoulder.

"Good evening, we are traveling monks from mount Fuji. We came to your village because we sensed a powerful demonic aura," the one leading spoke with a deep voice.

"Doesn't that sound familiar, Miroku?" Shippo said. He laughed sheepishly at Shippo's comment.

"I don't sense anything unusual," Kagome replied the traveler, "do you Miroku?"

"Ah, you're a _miko_ and a monk living in this village? And you're a young fox demon," the other replied.

"Yes, we are," Miroku said to him.

"Well, the demonic aura I was sensing is coming from that house over there! Wait- It's moving around the village!" The grip around his staff tightened and all the monks tensed up and grabbed their rosary beads or other tools.

Kagome looked at where his finger pointed and started laughing. That was her house.

"There seems to be a misunderstanding."

"Keh! Were you looking for me?" Inuyasha jumped out of the darkness next to Kagome and Miroku.

"A _hanyou_!" the head monk exclaimed.

"Puh!" Inuyasha spat with his arms folded.

"Demons and half-demons living amongst humans, we don't often come across that. It seems there is no problem here. We're sorry for having disturbed you, the hour is late," the head monk said. He bowed to them and they seemed to be ready to leave again.

"Uhh-wait! Weren't you going to ask to stay in the finest house of the village?" Miroku asked them. The monk turned his face around to look Miroku in the eye. He looked very serious.

"No, we're in a hurry."

The group of monks turned their backs on them and started going down the same path where they came from.

"You see, not all monks are like you Miroku," Inuyasha told him.

Miroku laughed nervously, "I guess I should get back to Sango and the kids."

"Did you see the band they wore around their arm? They seemed like a special group of monks," Kagome said. Shippo nodded.

"Let them mind their own business," Inuyasha replied.

At that moment they heard small footsteps from the dirt road behind them. They turned around and saw Rin running towards them wearing a white and blue kimono with a pattern of orange and red goldfish.

"Rin, you're back!" Kagome exclaimed.

"Look, Sesshomaru-sama gave me another kimono!" the girl said happily.

"I thought I sensed him around here, well let's all get some sleep now," Inuyasha said while quickly scanning the sky as if he expected to see his brother. He saw nothing, it seemed Sesshomaru left as quick as he came.

* * *

An hour later the group of monks were standing in a circle, their leader in their middle.

"Kodama-sama, any sign?"

He seemed to be meditating while holding onto his staff. The gem glowed ominously.

"There hasn't been any movement. We'll retrieve the scroll soon."

* * *

Thank you for reading! If you would like to review its highly appreciated :)  
I've been updating a few days in a row so far and I'm out of (half)finished material, I got plenty of ideas but it might take a few days now to get a new chapter up. Next chapter will reveal more of Haruna's identity, will contain some action and Sesshomaru.


	5. Chapter 5: Found!

A/N: Chapter five and six were written like one big chapter of about 5400 words. I decided to split it into two chapters. Chapter six will be uploaded soon. I had a good time writing this and hope you all enjoy :)

* * *

Chapter Five

"Lord Sesshomaru, please wait for me!" Jaken pleaded. He was panting while his short legs tried to keep up with Sesshomaru's brisk strides across the rough terrain. Sesshomaru ignored his impish servant and continued to walk in the same pace. In the past five years after Naraku had been defeated by the now renowned Sesshomaru he had worked on re-establishing his reign on his father's previous territory. There were plenty of demons, such as Royakan the wolf guard of the forest, who quite happily accepted his authority. They often recalled his father, the much revered Inu no Taisho, and were in awe of Sesshomaru's strength. Others grudgingly accepted Sesshomaru as Lord of the West, fearing his infamous _Bakusaiga_. And finally there were the fools who tried to oppose him, they paid for their disrespect with their life. He had lived some months in his new home, a modest castle, together with Jaken and occasionally with Rin, but felt he couldn't stay put on one spot for longer than a few weeks after all these years of being on the road. Even after reaching the status of _taiyokai, _stronger than any other demon known in Japan, he was always looking to improve his skill. And like his father he policed his domain.

'Ever since he left Rin behind he's been in a bad mood... Why doesn't he just take her with him again!' Jaken thought annoyed and sighed.

They had been hiking through the mountains. Sesshomaru seemed to look for something but didn't confide in Jaken what had caught his interest. They were walking down a narrow path, on one side the steep mountain wall and the other a cliff. Jaken still carried his _Nintojo_, the human head staff, which was quite big for his stature. Suddenly he gave out a yelp. He had gone too near the ledge and the ground under his right foot shifted. His heart pounded: for a split second he had seen himself falling down there and surely Sesshomaru wouldn't have bothered to jump down and save his loyal servant! That's atleast what crossed the mind of Jaken, whether it was true or not. He heard the rocks bounce off against the cliffside. He looked below, there weren't many trees at this point of the mountain. The majority of land was bare rock, grasses and low bushes. He noticed movement at not too far a distance from their position. A group of monks. They were now standing still and turned their heads towards Sesshomaru and Jaken.

* * *

Kodama and the other monks had felt the aura of a strong demon nearing for some time now. There he finally was in their vision, walking out of their reach with a small imp following his footsteps.

"It's a powerful demon, shall we pursue?" asked his fellow monk, Masao.

"No, we won't. We can't take the risk to engage into combat with this demon while we have yet to obtain the scroll and find Haruna," Kodama said with his deep voice. His straw hat cast a line of shadow across his eyes which made it easier for him to look at the cliff. The tall demon had long silver hair that fell below his waist and wore a strange type of armor not often seen on demons. There had been rumors of a demon with his appearance, according to these rumors he had claimed the lands in the west. The smaller demon had seen them, but the other didn't so much as cast a glance on his group. He was convinced he knew very well that they were below him though.

"I think he's been onto us for a while, I wonder why."

"He seems to be going in a different direction now, Kodama-sama," replied another monk, named Jinsei. He had known him for most of his life and he was approximately as old as he was, though his beard grayer and his face wrinklier.

"Hmm..." Kodama replied in thought watching the demons disappear out of sight again. He then averted his gaze back to the road in front of him. He could see a thick forest starting a few yards further beneath them, they'd have to travel through that. Luckily for them there was a path in the mountains that seemed to lead through the forest as well. This was the final stage of their journey if the location of the scroll remained unmoved. He hoped to find Haruna there as well. He could sense time was running out and it worried him gravely.

* * *

The next day Haruna was inside the infirmary together with Ikeda, organizing his herbs to see which types were nearly depleted from his collection and had to be gathered. The front door to his house was opened, the daylight pooled in. In the morning they had been tending a few of his patients. It was just after noon now and it was already a warm day, not a cloud in the sky.

"This is comfrey root and leaf," he explained pointing at a little bowl with dried gray-green bits of plant in it.

"I know," Haruna replied, "you can make an ointment from it that sooths arthritis and it helps against burns, skin ulcerations and insect bites."

"You know all that?" Ikeda said surprised, pulling up his eyebrows.

"I've been learning about herbs before," she confessed.

"Hmhmm, I noticed some while ago you had an interest in my medicine. Then what is this?" he quickly held up a dried piece of sliced mushroom. She looked at him and giggled.

"O-ho, is this a test?" she teased.

"Let's make a game of it," he replied also smiling, "come on Yuna-san, it's obviously a mushroom, but can you guess which one?"

"That's reishi mushroom, it can be used to cure diseases of the liver and can restore chi-energy, or help against anxiety and stress."

"It is also used against bronchitis and against high blood pressure," he added.

Haruna nodded. She was enjoying spending time with the doctor and learning from him. He offered her the piece of mushroom and she picked it from his fingers, turning it around to inspect both sides and holding it under her nose to smell.

"You can make tea from it or powder it and sprinkle it on top of food or in liquids," Ikeda said.

"Okay, I see... I've heard that before."

She placed the mushroom back where it belonged and picked up a dried flower to observe.

"Was there a doctor who taught you?"

"You could say that, he's a good man anyway," she answered. Ikeda looked at Haruna curiously. She didn't often speak about how she previously lived. Were the barriers finally coming down? He had never pried to deeply into her past out of respect, but actually he had wanted to know more about her for a long time. He had accepted her in his town and heart and appreciated her company, but all of this girl's history had remained a mystery to him and she was an oddity indeed, carrying around such a dangerous sword and being chased down by bandits.

Outside a guard could be seen passing the opened door. A new stranger was walking towards the village entrance. It was a monk, possibly around the age of fifty or sixty. It was hard to tell, he had his straw hat pulled deeply over his eyes. He carried a strange staff, one without the usual rings attached to it. Instead a circle adorned it with a copper eye in the middle. The guard, Gousuke, thought it was a strange thing. He got a weird feeling when he looked at the dark purple gem inside of the eye. Then he remembered... bandits dressed as monks! At first he had approached the monk with his normal attitude, walking over leisurely as if he wasn't on duty, if only his boss saw there'd be trouble! But now he changed his pace, straightening his back and trying to look bigger than he was.

"Please state your business," he flatly told the monk.

Kodama wasn't used to be talked to in such tone of voice with so little regard for his status.

"Good day to you sir, I travel from town to town to offer my services and-"

"-We don't need any blessings or sutra charms, uhm, there's no demon activity here," the guard interrupted him, even startled himself by his own rudeness. The lines around Kodama's mouth corners hardened.

"Then perhaps, if it's not too much asked, I would like to stay here for the night."

"Uhmm- no can do! All our houses are full and we have no proper place for guests to stay," he replied the stranger.

"All your houses are full?" Kodama replied him hardly hiding his disbelief. He looked around the town and noticed the doctor's house. A man sat on the porch with a recently bandaged arm, talking to some acquintances. This town was medium-sized, surely someone could spare some room for one night. Even that big infirmary was totally occupied?

"Yes, so, I'm sorry. Perhaps its best you leave and try a different town before nightfall," Gousuke said curtly. The nearest town was probably four or five hours walking from there and the poor monk was already an old man in this era. But he felt nervous, apart from his age this could still be a bandit in disguise.

"Well then, I've understood enough." The old monk turned around, walking back towards the pole-gate in the west where he came from, leaning on his weird staff and shuffeling as though he had painful joints. Gousuke began to feel sorry.

"Hey, old man!" he exclaimed after a minute. The monk snapped his head towards him and turned around in a second. Gousuke was surprised at his quick reflexes. He had to look well to be able to see his overshadowed eyes, but when he did there was a mad glint in them that gave him shivers.

"Uhm-uh... I just wanted to say," he stuttered, "the next village is south-east from here."

"Thank you, but I'll go this way," Kodama told him coldly.

'Yikes! I must've really stepped on his feelings when I refused him entrance... if he's just an old man he could get attacked by demons in the wilderness.'

He watched the monk while he continued towards the forest.

'Maybe I can ask Yuna-san if she can identify him as one of the bandits?' He walked over to the infirmary where he could hear the happy voices of Haruna and Ikeda.

"Uhh am I interrupting, Ikeda-sama?" he asked as he stepped inside.

"No, no, do come in Gousuke-san," the doctor said a little surprised that a guard was walking into his house. He quickly inspected the guard for any wounds.

"No, I'm fine," Gousuke said realizing what the doctor was looking for, "I just talked to a monk and seeing Yuna-san told the chief that she was attacked by bandits dressed as priests I felt I had to tell her. It was really just one old man and I told him to go away... You can probably still see him when you look outside, leaning on that weird staff of his."

Haruna stiffened noticeably.

"Err- you okay, Yuna-san?" the guard asked her. He and Ikeda watched her strangely.

She walked over to a spot in the house where there was a crevice in the woodwork and kneeled down to its level. She put her eye in front of that hole to take a peak. In the distance she saw someone walking. The man had already crossed about three quarters of the distance to the gate. It was definately a priest, wearing the trademark purple robes of their profession. But then she noticed something familiar... A white band around his right shoulder. She gasped loudly.

"Yuna-san!" doctor Ikeda exclaimed. But she didn't answer him. She was looking at his staff and squinted her eyes trying to make out the details, until she saw something shimmered in the sunlight. That staff!

"No-no-no-no!" she muttered. Gousuke and Ikeda exchanged looks with each other, both getting increasingly worried.

"Yuna-san?" doctor Ikeda tried a little unsure.

"Shit!" she scolded while she half got up, then changed her mind and squatted down once more to look out through the hole. Her heart almost skipped a beat! The monk stood facing the infirmary directly, unmoving like a statue, threatening. His aura could be felt even from over a distance, intimidating her. It made the hairs on her arms stand up. She could feel her heartbeat banging in her chest now.

'How did he find me? I could've been anywhere, for all he knows,' she thought to herself.

To Gousuke and Ikeda it looked like the girl had seen a ghost. All of a sudden her face had turned pale and her eyes had widened in shock. She was just sitting there, now staring into nothingness, as if she had been petrified.

"Yuna-san..." Ikeda said again while shaking her arm. She seemed confused for a split second and then finally looked the man in the eye.

"Was that one of the men who hurt you?" Ikeda asked concerned.

"No-Yes, I mean yes..."

"Let me take a look outside." Gousuke hurried to the door and looked out towards the forest.

"He's not here anymore, walked into the forest I assume. Well excuse me, I go talk to Aratamaru-sama." He disappeared out of sight and they heard his quick footsteps leave the porch.

"He can't see me, Ikeda-sama. I don't want to leave the house for now," Haruna told the doctor. He slowly nodded his head in understanding and agreed.


	6. Chapter 6: Battle With An Old Friend

Chapter Six

Much to the surprise of Setsuko, Ikeda and the others Haruna didn't leave the house for three days and nights. If someone entered her room she could be seen sitting on the floor, her legs crossed and her hands loosely on top of her knees while her fingers formed an 'o'. She was meditating ever since the monk had shown his face in town. She kept her sword on her waist and her bundle of belongings were strapped onto her back. "Its just in case of emergency," she said when someone inquired if she was leaving. But the monk hadn't been seen since he disappeared into the forest. The guards patrolled the border more often and came across no one. The people were thinking: after three days passed, surely the bandits would have moved on?

'Kodama found me, he knows I'm inside the infirmary and I'm convinced he got me surrounded,' Haruna thought to herself.

'He's come all the way over here himself... Owh damn, he must be bent on taking me back home. He won't take no for an answer for sure, that means I'll have to fight my master. He had me living in that sanctuary, thousands of steps up mount Fuji. The other monks... they all had a choice at some point in their life. They had their chance to get to know the world and lived in the sanctuary out of free will, but I was born in a monastry and never allowed to leave far away. Well, things are changing now. I want to make my own choices!'

She could feel the scroll inside of her bag poking against her back and felt an urge to open it once more.

'He's after that, I took it without permission. It used to be in mom's possession... I'll have a look now before he can take it away.'

She took her bag and picked the scroll up from between her other belongings. Carefully she peeled the wax seal off that she had placed there herself the other time and rolled it open. The writings were in a strange language, hard to decipher. She had only taken minor training in this ancient language and was unable to read it all. At the beginning of the scroll she knew was an explanation about why the scroll was formed, but she hardly understood anything. Something about a spirtual Order and a gate. What interested her was the sutra charm that was displayed there, she had never seen anything like it. It was a complicated design. From a description she understood that it was powerful but that one needed to be pure in order to use it. This was the incantation she had engraved into her own katana... She opened the scroll further, it seemed to contain more instructions to spells that also used some simple hand signs to perform them. They were needed to channel energy. Large pieces of text... _Shadows... battle... Sa'keeth_... whatever that was about. The scroll was ages old, so the history that was described there must've been from hundreds of years back. More complicated seals and incantations were depicted, but she could understand nothing from them. A few pictures of strange beasts...

"Ahh, this is useless..." she groaned and started to roll up the scroll again.

'If I stayed longer I might've learnt how to read this, but then I would've had to be initiated and permanently join the Order. I definately wouldn't have been able to escape after my initiation, they would've told me all their secrets.'

She wasn't sure if she wanted to turn her back on the Order for good, but at least for now she wanted to see the world. She had always lived in the area of mount Fuji, under close supervision of the head priestess and head monk. At first she didn't mind, though she realized that her life was going to be different from those of the village girls in Yamanakako. In Yamanakako was a shrine where monks and priestesses underwent training. From amongst those, students were sometimes chosen to train further at the sanctuary up the mountain. A stairway led to the top of the mountain, halfway the mountain was the sanctuary and at its top a tower. She had lived in that sanctuary for three years now. A harsh environment for anything that lived, only the most stubborn grasses and bushes could endure the cold. Though at that height there wasn't snow all throughout the year, the temperature was never high even in summer due to the icy wind that flowed down from the mountain peak. She had always did her best to obey, to live up to the high expectations of her superiors, until a ever stronger growing feeling of discomfort and sadness turned her rebellious. She was a flawed human being, like anyone on this earth. She couldn't bare the solitude of the sanctuary, the constant pressure to reach absolute perfection, the lessons on how to switch off her emotions.

'I won't return!' she firmly decided.

* * *

That evening there was a harvest festival inside of town. After being pestered by Setsuko who didn't accept she would stay behind, she decided to come as well. She had dressed up in a kimono that Setsuko borrowed her: an emerald green one with a pattern of delicate white and pink cherry blossoms with a red obi-sash. She had braided her hair and Setsuko helped her fasten it as a bun on the back of her head while her slanted bangs fell across her forehead. She looked a lot prettier than usual. The total image of her outfit got a bit ruined though by the bag attached to her back and the katana on her side. Setsuko tried to get her to keep those items in the infirmary but she insisted on dragging them along with her. Akira came to pick her up from the doctor's house and the four of them walked to a big bon fire that had been made a little ways out of the village, close to the river. A few villagers brought instruments: a flute, a large string instrument named koto, the Japanese long necked guitar named shamisen and a small set of drums. There were kitchen ladies from Shobo's family house fanning the fires under large pots of boiling rice and other food. The smell of grilled fish and vegetables made Haruna hungry. When the music started she began to forget all her worries.

"Yuna-san! Will you do an old man a favor and dance with him?" Ikeda said, offering his hand to her. She had to laugh and placed her plate on the ground next to her feet.

"Sure!"

They danced around the fire, they could feel the heat on their skin.

"Now you've had your chance long enough to dance with Yuna-san, it's my turn," Akira joked.

Later she danced together with the women while they shared gossip. Everyone was happy, the children could stay up late and played tag with each other while the elder and sick kept half an eye on them and the other half on the dancing crowd. No one noticed the seven men which were approaching in silence. Kodama stepped inside the light of the fire. His straw hat was now hanging by the string around his neck on his back, but his forehead was still covered by an orange bandana. His eyes searched the crowd until he spotted what he was looking for.

He walked forward and people were starting to notice him and his companions. The voices and laughter died, a sudden fear replaced their joy. The music band abruptly ended their song and the dancing crowd stopped to look what was the cause of this interruption. Haruna felt a strong energy. She looked around until she crossed eyes with the head monk.

"Kodama-sama!" she gasped and took a step back.

"Yes, I've travelled past many towns, through several meadows and across even more mountains to come here. Now you come with me, Haruna."

"Haruna?" Akira muttered and looked confused from the girl back to the monk.

"I'm not going anywhere if I don't want to..." she snapped at Kodama.

He gave her a stern look that promised trouble if she didn't comply. He took another step forward and examined her. An angry frown formed on his face.

"So it's true! I heard rumors of what you did, but I hoped they were false! You have done a foolish thing." He pointed at the katana.

"And now you've even sullied your soul by causing the death of an innocent person."

She felt too shocked to think about how he could know she had something changed to her katana, outwardly it looked the same as always. His words hit her hard. Ever since that day the blacksmith died she had always felt guilty... Before going to sleep she'd always pray to her jade bodhisattva. Tears welled up behind her eyes.

"It was an accident!" she exclaimed. "I didn't mean to cause anyone harm, I just..." a tear trickled down her cheek.

"You were just too curious for your own good, using a forbidden incantation from the scroll you took," Kodama continued unforgivingly, "by the Gods, girl. Since when did you become this disobedient?"

"You had me take the Vow of Silence... for four months!" she yelled at him angrily. He remained a calm composure.

"I wanted to help you find peace with your fate by trying to remove you from distractions..." he half-whispered. But the villagers held in their breath and every sound could be heared clearly.

The villagers understood by now that these monks were no bandits at all and that they had been lied to.

"Yuna-san, what is this?" Setsuko asked her softly.

"I'm so sorry, I've lied to you because I didn't want to be found by my master, Kodama-sama. I didn't want to return to the sanctuary. I'm really sorry!" she replied. Another tear ran down her cheek.

"It's not too late, Haruna. We must return to the sanctuary immediately, you must undergo your initiation," the old monk stepped forward and the other monks followed after him. Haruna's heart started beating faster. Monk Masao clenched his rosary and Jinsei had one hand inside his kimono. Their eyes focused on her, they looked like hawks.

"Now hand over the scroll first, it's not yours to keep yet," Kodama demanded.

"No!" Haruna said firmly. She backed away from them, closer to the river. They were going to close her in! She had to cross the river to get a chance at escaping. Without a second thought she jumped as far across the river as she could and fell into the water. She heard the monks run to the edge of the river bank while she climbed out on the other side.

"Stop this folly right now, or it will soon be my turn to get angry!" Kodama called out.

"I'm sorry master, but I have to follow my heart. I cannot accept my duties right now, please let me go," she told him.

"Then you give me no other choice," he bitterly replied, "_San Suu Kyo Shi Ho!_"

He pushed his staff forward and an invisble blast of wind crossed the river. The water surface moved wildly, the reed broke off and the grass near Haruna's feet got torn before she was hit. She was nearly spun around by the sheer power of the impact. Her feet slid back into the ground and she gritted her teeth and squinted her eyes against the wind. Her brown hair fluttered madly. With an effort she raised her hands with her palms open in front of her, the wind around her subsided and it looked as if she was holding back a growing ball of raging wind. Laboriously she moved her hands to the left and let go. She panted heavily and watched the blast of wind shoot into the soy fields where all the plants in its path got ripped apart until 50 feet into the field.

"Good, but you're no prodigy like your mother!" Kodama's voice boomed from across the river, "let's see how diligently you have studied." He held his staff up, a light began to shine from within the dark purple gem. Small yellow orbs were forming in the air, growing in number, floating in front of Kodama. He flung his staff downwards and they sped forward to Haruna like bullets. She quickly grabbed her sheathed katana from the strap around her waist and held her arms up to shield herself. A barrier she hastily errected while muttering a charm deflected the orbs and they crashed behind and besides her, exploding on impact. The rising dust veiled her eyesight and caused her to cough. She could hear Akira and Setsuko call out her name and looked at them through the floating dust. They seemed to want to help her but were too scared to do anything.

"Hmpf," the monk snorted, "you used the power from your katana. You still don't seem to have access to the true depths of your spiritual strength."

He formed a hand sign in front of him while raising his staff another time. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She had never fought Kodama before. She looked at the small craters around her... If those orbs would've hit her... Now he was doing something else, invisible to the eye, but she could feel the build up of energy. It turned the air static.

'I have to use _that_,' she realized. She held the katana in front of her body with her left hand and kept her right hand with all the fingers pointing up close to her chest. She began to whisper a charm as fast as she could.

"_Ohm Lo Chi Dazheng Kho Chaa." _

"Kodama-sama! She's-!" Jinsei exclaimed worried and surprised.

She could feel a pressure building inside her body. Just a moment... Just a few second and the charm would take effect! She focused all her energy. Kodama almost seemed ready to use his attack as well, but she realized she was faster! She began to smile.

"I can't stay here fighting you Kodama-sama," she said and then vanished in thin air. Kodama peered at the spot where she had stood just a second ago and lowered his staff. A sigh of relief went through the crowd behind him. Was it over?

"She used spiritual teleportation," he said out loud. He taught her that skill but she had never been able to use it properly yet. Somewhere in his mind he felt proud at his student for being able to outrun him. He was just about finished preparing the skill that would've left her immobile. Now he lowered his staff and inhaled deeply, absorbing the energy he had been about to release.

"Master Kodama," it was Masao, "pardon me, but I don't think she's ready for the initiation even if we catch her." None of the monks were truly set back by her dissapearance, they had confidence in their master's tracking skill. Even a demon wouldn't be able to outskill Kodama when it came to tracking. But they had all noticed something troubling: the girl had lost part of her purity.

"We need her," Kodama simply replied, "she's her mother's child."

Had he been too harsh on her? He had noticed a change in her since a couple of months ago. The Vow of Silence had been to help her to find her inner peace once again, so she would be ready to carry the burden of the Order. But he had failed to understand just how deeply damaged she was, he had failed as her mentor. He felt a sharp sadness inside that he quickly supressed.

"For now our main goal is to retrieve the scroll from Haruna," he told his companions, "Jinsei, please talk with the village leader to gain information about Haruna's stay here, and pay them for the trouble we caused."

* * *

A few miles further away Haruna reappeared and nearly fell over. She felt nauseous from the teleportation process but didn't care. Inside she was happy and relieved she had escaped from her master. She let herself laugh out loud, but only shortly. Her joy quickly turned into sadness. She didn't hate the old man who had been by her side all her life. As fast as her laughter came, a sob welled up from her throat and tears blurred her eyesight again. All the adrenaline and different emotions coursing through her body at once... And she felt exhausted, she had used up all the energy she had stored inside while meditating the past days. She let herself become emotional only for an instant and recalled the instructions on how to regain her composure and cut those feelings off. A soft roar from behind her... Haruna became aware she wasn't alone.

"Who are you, human wench? Appearing out of nowhere while Lord Sesshomaru is resting?" a squeaky voice barked indignantly. She turned around and to her surprise saw a young man in the cool light of the moon, appearing only a few years older than her, with long silver colored hair. He watching her intently. His face was calm, not exposing the indignance she had heard from the voice. He was sitting against a tree trunk with one leg pulled up and his arm casually resting on top of it. From the looks of it he was tall. He wore an armor with a white and red kimono underneath, and she could see he carried two swords.

"Over here!" the squeaky voice yelled. This guy's lips didn't move... he wasn't a belly speaker was he? She noticed from the corner of her eye that a large staff was being waved around in the air. It was adorned with human heads of a man and woman carved out of wood and painted. A small impish demon was holding it, he just reached the height of her knee. He had yellow eyes and moss-green skin, a little black hat was strapped onto his bald head and he wore a brown kimono.

"Who are you guys?" Haruna muttered in surprise.

"What? Don't ignore that I asked you first!" the demon imp exclaimed insulted. She looked over her left shoulder and saw a two-headed dragon eating grass from a small field. She turned back to face the man who was sitting, he still watched her in silence. She noticed his amber colored eyes and the purple stripes on his face and hands.

"Wait... have we... met before?"

* * *

A/N: Whoohoo! This has been my favorite chapter to write ^_^ I've been working on getting to this point in the story. Yes, Haruna can be considered a priestess. But her personality is more like Kagome's than Kikyo's, and within the Order she has average skills. I like describing fighting scenes, was it any good though? There will be plenty of fighting scenes and drama to come in the future... when the threat from the Realm of Shadows enters the plotline. Almost all the main characters have been introduced. I gotta think of a plausible explanation why Sesshomaru would tolerate another human close to him... o.o ...


	7. Chapter 7: The Lord And The Shadow

Chapter Seven

Sesshomaru was surprised to see a young woman had suddenly joined him, Jaken and Ah-Un in the small clearing where they were resting. His eyes betrayed none of their canine features, but he could see well in the dark and noticed she wore a kimono unfit for travelling which was completely soaked. It stuck onto her limbs and thin waist almost like a second skin. Jaken was quick to voice his opinion on her apparition. Right now he, Sesshomaru, had not yet decided how to respond. Never had he smelled her approaching, but now her scent drifted into his sensitive nose. This was the first time Sesshomaru had ever came across a human who could teleport. He had been patrolling the Eastern border of his domain after he had felt a disturbance he could not place. A few days ago he had located the cause: a group of monks had been travelling just passed his territory and their leader emmitted a strange _jaki_. But seeing they were only humans he payed no further notice to them. But now this girl appeared before him... and something about her scent was similar to that of the monk. He recognized her of course, seeing he had rescued her along with Rin a few months ago. It was a strange coincedence to meet her again...

"Wait... have we... met before?" Haruna asked.

"Hnn," was his response.

"Yes, is your memory defect? You should thank Lord Sesshomaru for getting out of his way to save you!" Jaken answered in Sesshomaru's place. She looked from the little demon to this... 'Lord Sesshomaru'.

"So it _was _you, thank you," she said, "and now we meet again... It's been a strange evening."

"He only saved you because of Rin!" Jaken spoke while crossing his arms. He was staring at her with his yellow eyes, obviously annoyed. Haruna cocked up her eyebrows.

"That little girl? You know where she is? Is she alright!"

"You need not worry about her," Sesshomaru said. That was the first time he had truly spoken to her. His voice was masculine but cold, a shiver ran down her spine. His demonic aura was strong, stronger than any she had ever felt. Although he had given her an answer it wasn't exactly what she had hoped to find out.

"Then where is she?" she asked.

"She's safe," he answered flatly. He stood up and she saw he was a head taller than her. Haruna noticed his proud and stoic demeanor.

"Jaken."

"Y-yes, milord?" the imp squeaked.

"Let's go."

"No, wait!" Haruna exclaimed, she didn't even know why. But then something unexpected happened. The katana started trembling, getting hot inside of its sheath once again. The same red glow appeared as before. Haruna grabbed the hilt and tried her best not to show what effort it took her to control it, smoke trailed up from inside the sheath. Sesshomaru watched her sword blankly and stood still, but she doubted it was because she had told him to wait. When the trembling stopped her hand felt painful but she ignored it.

"What are you, woman?" he asked, glaring down.

"I'm Haruna," she replied.

"I didn't ask your name, but what you are."

"Heh," she laughed unamused, "I'm a miko, what are you?"

"Insolent girl! Don't you know how to reply with respect? This is-"

"Jaken."

The imp stopped talking and swallowed. Why was his lord bothering to respond this human? In all the years of his service, Sesshomaru had changed most in the last six years. In the past he would've killed a human who told him to wait. What was different now? Had he grown soft because she saved Rin when he wasn't around? As if Sesshomaru understood what Jaken was thinking he quickly gave him a deadly glare.

'Owh how does he always seem to know what I'm thinking?' Jaken worriedly thought to himself as he backed down a few steps.

"You don't seem to be able to draw that katana," Sesshomaru stated. Haruna felt a little embarassed that it was so obvious that she couldn't handle her own sword, she didn't reply him.

'Kodama-sama said I'm tainted... and the incantation engraved in my katana can only be handled by the pure... I have to cleanse myself of bad karma.'

"We're leaving, Jaken," the young man told his servant, he had already turned his back on her.

_Follow him._

The two headed dragon stopped grazing and lifted his heads up. Jaken would sometimes fly holding onto the boa-like fur that fell over Sesshomaru's shoulder, but this time he climbed up Ah-Un's saddle.

_Follow him!_

It was as though a voice spoke from deep within.

"Hey! Let me come with you, uhm, I want to see Rin and... and I should repay you for saving me," Haruna told Sesshomaru to his back with a soft smile. He stopped and turned his head to the left so he could see her from the corner of his eye. His silver hair glistened in the moonlight.

"I don't need help from the likes of you," he replied coldly.

"The likes of- What's your problem?" a suddenly irritated Haruna called out to his back, "someone's trying to be nice to you and this is how you respond?"

He payed no further attention to her and continued his way. The dragon softly roared and watched his master's movements closely, he was ready to soar into the sky if he needed to. Jaken was holding onto its reigns. Haruna noticed that they were probably going to fly and felt a sting of loneliness.

"Don't just leave me here!" she shouted.

She started walking after Sesshomaru, a little shaky on her feet from exhaustion.

_You need to stay close to him!_

He was walking away from her without changing his pace and this voice inside kept urging her to follow. The two-headed dragon was bending his legs to jump. She knew this was her only chance! She managed to pull a short sprint and jumped up grabbing his saddle while the dragon pushed himself from the ground.

"Are you insane! Let go!" Jaken yelled trying to poke her off with his staff, she slid a few inches lower and her hand which al ready hurt from holding her sword now ached from clenching the leather straps of the saddle. She slapped his staff away and gave him an annoyed stare. She was hanging on Ah-Un's right side and the dragon was clumisily trying to fly higher despite all the movement on his back. The trees were coming closer, was Ah-Un going to make it in time? Her eyes sperred open... she pulled up her legs and just missed a tree top. She looked back and saw the clearing becoming smaller and smaller below her. With an effort she pulled herself up.

"Move over, Jaken," she muttered.

"W-what are you doing! Lord Sesshomaru!" hopefully he looked at his master to see if he would come to his aid, but he ignored the struggle that was going on between his servant and Haruna.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken whined another time, but then understood nothing was going to happen. Grudgingly he scooted over so that Haruna could swing her leg across Ah-Un's saddle and sit properly. Jaken might seem grumpy at times, but he wasn't so bad as to use the burning flame of his staff in this girl's face and force her to leave (or die) that way. Maybe inside he felt a little grateful that she had saved Rin before.

"Guess you'll just have to tolerate my presence, Jaken_-sama_," Haruna said triumphantly.

"Why you...!" Jaken said, but his annoyance sounded a little feigned. He couldn't fully mask that he was pleased she had called him sama, even is she sounded teasing_._

'Lord Sesshomaru, why did you let this girl follow us?' Jaken complained to himself while missing the good old days when only he accompanied his lord.

Haruna smiled while she enjoyed the cool night wind in her face. She sat behind Jaken, who still held Ah-Un's reigns. Sesshomaru flew in front of them, his long hair and fluffy boa fluttered behind him. She had no idea where they were going, but didn't care. The stars twinkled above their heads, morning was still far away. She yawned and closed her eyes for a moment feeling strangely comfortable, even though she was two hundred yards above the ground wearing damp clothes in the company of demons she hardly knew.

'Three demons and a miko... We should be fighting. Still, I feel safe. Isn't that odd? Kodama-sama would scold me if he saw me like this.' That thought almost made her giggle. She felt free like the wind that blew in her face.

* * *

The leaves on the high trees rustled in the wind, insects chirped from hidden places, squirrels searched the ground for fallen nuts, a few fireflies danced above the grass... The moonlit clearing where Lord Sesshomaru had met Haruna betrayed nothing of their presence there, just a few hours ago. One more hour and it would become dawn. A deer was eating grass around the same spot where Ah-Un stood before. Something dark moved past the tree trunks... the deer raised his head and twitched its ears. Suddenly he bolted away into the forest. A deep dark shadow glided across the terrain and seemed to suck up all the light in it. It first went left and stayed there, then it moved to the right close to the tree where Sesshomaru had been sitting. Finally, after searching the ground for another minute, it came to an halt where Haruna had appeared before Sesshomaru. A figure rose up from the shadow that seemed to be made from darkness itself. It possessed long clawed fingers and feet, its back was hunched and his spine was spiked. Its head was beast-like, as that of an orc. Gray paint decorated its face in the shape of a skull, emphasizing the dark eyes that lay deep in their sockets. A dark smoke appeared to rise from its body whenever it moved. In his right hand a small golden amulet dangled from a silver chain, reflecting the moonlight, before the darkness of his body swallowed it. He bend over on all fours until his head was just a few inches above the ground. A sniffing sound broke the silence in the clearing. It crawled around following the scent he had picked up until he stood at the point where Haruna had grabbed hold of Ah-Un's saddle. It filled its nostrils with her scent. Suddenly he looked up to the sky and laid bare his black sharp teeth. A long high pitched screech ripped the air, filled with malice and hatred. In an instant his body fell back into a shadow with a puff of dark smoke. The shadow raced across the clearing and vanished between the trees. An ear deafening silence returned to the clearing. The insects were still, the squirrels gone... even the wind seemed to hold in its breath. An otherworldly creature had just been in their midst.

* * *

A/N: I wanna thank all my readers and reviewers! It's awesome to notice other people are following your work. I get the feeling this is going to become a story with many chapters... 50'ish I guess. As always I hope you liked it. I would be able to know if you would leave a review... you know you want to ;)  
Till next time - Demiyah


	8. Chapter 8: A Seal Has Been Broken

Chapter Eight

The bear-clan village looked deserted, all the houses were empty. A fire that had recently been fed with new wood was a good sign however that the demons who inhabited the village wouldn't be too far away. A faint sound of drums could be heard, playing in a trance-like rhythm. If one followed that sound they would walk towards a higher levelled ledge on the northern side of the village. There was a large cave entrance. If one stood at it's opening they would be able to overlook the entire village. The drumming sound resonated against the cave walls. It was dark, but a dim light could be seen in the distance from a corridor in the cave tunnel, and if you didn't have the sharp eyes of a yokai you would nearly miss the two guards standing in the shadows. They were humanoid bear-yokai with hairy arms and legs, sharp fangs and round ears sticking out of their deep brown or black hair which they wore in many small braids decorated with beads and feathers. They carried spears and armor in their muscular hands and on top of their buff chests and stared out of the cave opening with focused eyes under a bushy brow. In the back of the cave the walls were hung with terracotta colored tapestries, giving it a tent-like feeling. A young woman was nursing a baby while two children sat around her legs. The drums sounded louder here and were accompanied by a chanting voice. More clan members were standing alongside of the tapestried walls, perhaps two or three dozen of them. The few torches burning cast long shadows across their grave faces. A messenger had entered the cave, he had been running and was panting. He nodded at some faces he knew and his eyes crossed with those of his wife, who was holding their two-year old. She parted her lips and frowned worriedly, he had a large cut in his right arm and the blood was only half dried, how did it happen? Were things going to be okay? He had been injured recently. His eyes told her not to ask questions, he had important news to deliver to the Wise Woman. The two guards that stood besides the cloth that formed the entrance to the tent where the Wise Woman was chanting let him enter. The heavy scented smoke from incense made its way to his nose, stinging his eyes. The Elders were besides the Wise Woman playing the drums whilst sitting on pillows. Her daughter held her hand which was bleeding, an offering to the Gods. There was a milky shine on her eyes, which were rolled back. She had gone blind throughout the years. Her gray hair fell on her back and shoulders in long dreadlocks, decorated with brown and green beads and the feathers from the southern Paradise Bird leader which she had single handedly killed years back in her youth. She wore a leather tunic with green and red tribal paiting and a silver bracelet adorned her left upper arm. Her arms were painted with brown henna. Her face was deeply wrinkled. She chanted loudly, her voice so old, picking up speed. The drums followed. Suddenly she gasped for air.

"Sa'keeth... Sa'keeth... The banished ones are free..." her hoarse voice croaked in a half-whisper. She continued chanting and her body shook. Her daughter looked at her worriedly.

"Our tribe has lost strength over the years, our blood ran thin... We may not survive the changes about to happen..."

A woman near the entrance started sobbing next to the messenger. His worried frown got deeper and he decided to sit and wait until the Wise Woman had spoken.

"The dog-clan and the Order..." she continued. She suddenly woke up from her trance and her hand searched for the bowl of salt that lay close to her, her daughter brought it within her reach. Her fingers dug into the salt and cast it into the small fire before her. A green cloud whooshed up from it.

"Five nights ago the seal in the West broke and the banished ones are once again free. The Order that had protected it for years has been unable to produce enough members able to renew the seal. In the Forbidden Land a stronger Lord has risen than any in past ages, equal to the legendary Unghar, which was ultimately defeated by priestess Midoriko and the former Inu no Taisho's grandfather, Gyakusatsu, and caused Unghar's tribe to be cast into the Realm of Shadows."

She gasped for breath and her eyes rolled back in their sockets again. Her body began to shake as though she was having a seizure.

"Mom?" her daughter asked insecure while holding her hand.

Suddenly her trembling stopped and her glazy eyes widened.

"They are nearing... They are nearing... They are among us!" she croaked while gasping for air. The Elder stopped drumming.

"Run, now, now, run!" she spat.

The few people in the tent sobbed in horror, their eyes filled with fear. The stories that had been passed down about Unghar of the Sa'keeth had frightened them, but they regarded them as scary campfire stories. But now the legend was coming close to become very real to them.

"Aaargh...!" A shout from the distance. The cave entrance!

"No normal weapons can save us now," the Wise Woman said with deadly coldness.

Frightened, everyone turned their heads towards the entrance to the tent. The messenger didn't wait and hurried outside to join his wife.

"Pakumaru!" she sobbed while stretching out her free arm towards him. They peered at the darkness of the tunnel in front of them while holding onto each other with their oblivious two-year old between them. A child started crying in the distance, closer to the cave entrance and out of their sight, and a woman hushed him.

"No! No! Waaaa!-" the woman's scream resonated against the cave walls until it abruptly came to an end. A deep gurgling roar could be heard, evil, and then a high pitched screech that chilled him to the bone. Pakumaru could feel his wife trembling and pulled her closer to him with one hand while he drew his sword with his other. She burried her face into his neck while their child clamped his tiny arms around hers. Pakumaru had ran back to report he had seen the beast, but it seems it discovered them. Another child near the Wise Woman's tent was starting to cry but someone quickly covered her mouth with a hand. Everyone was staring into the darkness too scared to even breathe. All the male adults and female fighters were holding onto their weapons, ready to defend their tribe. From the dark they could hear something slithering. In the dim light of the torches a deep black shadow appeared from the darkness of the tunnel. They watched it grow and horror filled their eyes. Their agonizing screams could be heard all the way down in the village.

* * *

Sesshomaru was going in the direction of Kaede's town. He was planning to drop off this woman there who had decided on her own to climb on Ah-Un. Rin had mentioned once she wondered how this girl was doing, he would offer them the chance to meet. His nose suddenly caught a penetrating stench.

Blood!

He quickly looked down to his left side. A smoke was rising in the distance, his sharp eyes could make out houses near the steep mountain. A few tufts of trees and bushes in a clearing and bamboo huts. He squinted his eyes. No movement, no bodies, nothing. But the scent betrayed a massacre had occurred. He changed his course and Jaken followed his new direction with mild surprise.

"A demon village!" he exclaimed.

"Where?- Oh, there," Haruna replied from behind Jaken, looking past Ah-Un's heads to where they were going.

"I can sense an auracoming from there," she said. This alarmed Sesshomaru who felt it too, though outwardly he showed nothing. Were there possibly survivors? Or was it someone... or something... else?

They landed into the middle of the village, close to the smoldering fire that caused the smoke to trail up.

Silence.

"Stay with Ah-Un, Jaken," Sesshomaru told his servant.

"Uhm y-yes milord."

The deserted village was making Jaken nervous and he was relieved he didn't have to come. He too smelled death. But Haruna was too curious to stay back. She hopped off Ah-Un's back and took a look around. The houses looked so... normal... but they were made of bamboo, not wood. And their roofs were coated with leaves which camouflaged them.

"Is this a yokai village?" she asked out loud.

"Hnn," Sesshomaru responded. He looked up to the path that let to the cave entrance. The smell of blood was coming from there. Haruna walked up besides him.

"I can sense something coming from inside that cave," she said.

He started walking towards the cave entrance and Haruna followed after. When they stood at the opening she had difficulties adjusting her eyes to the lack of light. She peered into the dark. The metallic smell of blood and rot even entered her nostrils now. Sesshomaru could see what was going on inside, but Haruna had not noticed yet the two severed bodies that lay against the wall of the cave. Their blood was sprayed across the walls. Sesshomaru and Haruna entered. Suddenly she too became aware of the dead around here, she could feel their presence with her spiritual power, but her eyes weren't used to this darkness. She almost tripped over someone's arm and bumped into Sesshomaru. She hold onto his fur not to fall over. He gave her a quick glare but tolerated that she held onto the fur until they had reached a corridor where a nearly finished torch offered her eyes some light. She placed her hand over her mouth and scanned the floor and walls. Everywhere was blood... guts spilled across the ground... the bodies of women, men and children.

"This is horrible," she mumbled.

Sesshomaru gave no sign of his thoughts about the cruel display before him. He could sense a life form at the end of this tunnel. His keen eyes peered into the distance, there was a tent-like construction there, or used to be. It was ripped apart for most of it, cloth hanging loose from the ceiling. He thought he could see movement behind there. His hand glided down to his sword Bakusaiga. Haruna squatted down. There was a man and a woman laying half on top of each other with a young child between them, possibly two-years old. Their hands were still holding each other. The woman was nearly unscratched and her eyes betrayed the fear she had felt before she died. Haruna placed her fingers in her neck to check if there was any pulse against better judgement. Nothing... dead...

"Who would do something like this? Was it a vendetta?" she said under her breath.

Something scraped over a surface. Haruna quickly looked in the direction of the destroyed tent. Someone was there... They proceeded towards the tent, Haruna with her sheathed sword in one hand and Sesshomaru loosely holding the hilt of his, both prepared to fight. Sesshomaru drew his sword and slashed down the rest of the cloths. When they fell down they revealed an old woman laying with her side on a big pillow. She emitted a weak barrier. She arduously lifted her eyes to see the stoic demon in front of her and the worried girl two steps behind him. She coughed and blood ran down the side of her mouth. Her barrier slowly disappeared.

"Y-ou... have... c-come..." she said softly with a scratchy voice. Haruna looked at her throat, the shape was abnormal and covered with blood. It must be extremely painful for this old yokai woman to talk. She rushed forward and sat down next to her to examine her face.

"Please don't talk, let me see the damage." She started to check up the woman and carefully brushed her fingers passed some of her wounds. This woman's throat had been half collapsed by a powerful thrust. Her leg was broken, the bone protruding the skin. It appeared she also had internal damage to her organs. She coughed another time and her face twisted with pain.

"I'm...be-beyond...saving...gi-rl..."

"Who did this?" Sesshomaru spoke, more like a command than a question.

"Saaah...keeth," the old woman answered. She looked up to Sesshomaru. Silver hair... blue crescent moon on his forehead... purple stripes... honey-golden eyes... She sperred her own brown ones open. She was getting excited about something.

"Inu... Inu no Taisho... the seal, find the artifacts... the seal is broken!" She tried to lift her hand and reached to Sesshomaru as though she was begging for his help. Then she turned her eyes to Haruna and slightly frowned.

"You-You're a mmm-miko... the Order...you must-" her eyes lost their focus, her voice trailed off, her muscles relaxed. Her head sank backwards, hanging in a uncomfortable position and fully exposing her crushed neck. The Wise Woman had passed away. Haruna repositioned the woman and closede her eyes.

"Sesshomaru-sama..." she whispered and looked up at him. He glared down on her. The old woman had mistaken him for his father and had spoken of a seal, but he knew of nothing like that. And this woman that he had endured in his company, apparently she was no ordinary priestess after all. Haruna looked around her and noticed a strange black puddle behind her. A tarry fluid.

'What's this?' she thought to herself while she dipped one finger in it. The fluid stuck to her fingers like a glue. Suddenly it bubbled and began to run up her finger and across her hand.

"Ah!" Haruna exclaimed while sending her spiritual energy through her hand. The pool lit up white as she purified it. With a puff of gray smoke and a hiss it disappeared.

"I never came across something like that," she told Sesshomaru, looking him in the eyes as she stood up.

"Hnn," he responded and briskly turned around to leave the cave again.

A seal was broken, something that had to do with his father. He couldn't remember his late father ever mentioning something like that. But there was possibly someone who could know, someone he rather not speak to however. It was the flee-demon Myouga, who hung around that abomination Inuyasha, his half-brother. He had intended on going to that village anyway and decided he would continue this plan. He was going to speak with Myouga, drop this girl off and seek out this seal that was mentioned in one breath with his father's name.

* * *

A/N: Hmmm... I made the bear-clan suffer a lot ^-^'', but now it's clear to Sesshomaru and Haruna they are both in some way connected to this. What did you think of it? Hope it's all getting a little more exciting.

- Demiyah


	9. Chapter 9: It Has Come This Far

A/N: I loved writing this chapter! :)

* * *

Chapter Nine

"_Kodama-sama-! Kodama-sama-!" Masao ran across the courtyard of the enclosed temple in Yamanakako where priests and priestesses from all over the area received training. Kodama was just explaining the use of ginseng root to a second-year student when he heard his apprentice call his name. He looked up and instantly realized something was wrong. The way Masao was hurrying towards him, the look on his face, it promised bad news. _

"_We've just been informed, the mission has not gone well!" he panted. _

"_What?" Kodama answered in shock._

"_During the process of remaking the seal...-" _

"_-It opened?" _

"_It did... Master Jinsei is the only one who survived. If it wasn't for Wakana-sama..." his voice trailed off._

"_What happened? Where is Jinsei?" Kodama exclaimed. _

"_In the informary with high priestess Mei," Masao replied. Without hesitation Kodama walked off in that direction, leaving the student dumbfounded. At the other end of the courtyard was a road to the right that led past the dormitories of the students in the direction of the herb garden and nursing station. A few students were eating while talking on the stairs to their dormitories, not even wearing their full attire. Students were demanded to be meticulous, these ones allowed themselves too much comfort._

"_Eat at a table!" he barked at them. Startled they stood up and bowed in respect for Kodama. They watched his back curiously, it was quite obvious something was amiss. _

_The last dormitory was shared by high priestess Mei and Wakana, a small girl stood in the doorstep. A shock coursed through his body... This young girls' mother... He averted his eyes to the cobstone path that led through the herb gardens. In the distance he could see the infirmary. Kodama and Masao entered the building. A priestess who had served their temple for ten years shook up from her paper work behind the desk and stood up to bow for master Kodama. _

"_Jinsei, please lead me to him," he asked her calmly. He was the key authority figure around. It made her nervous that he wasn't in the sanctuary up mount Fuji, it meant something._

"_This way please," she courtly replied and gestured him to follow. Masao felt proud for being his master's apprentice, the first one he took in years. He stood in Kodama's shadow but was aware that simply being in his presence elevated his status. Kodama realized this, he would lecture Masao later not to become full of himself. They walked through a hallway and stopped to enter a room. _

"_Master Kodama," Jinsei's voice, he sounded sorry._

"_Kodama-sama," that was Mei, always curt, she nodded and stood aside to make room for him. _

"_Jinsei, are you alright my friend," Kodama asked concerned. _

"_I'm fine... But Hioshi and-and high priestess Wakana..." his voice shivered with sudden grief. He could say no more._

"_Jinsei, use the Yung method to control your emotions. There will be a time for mourning, but it's not now. Tell me what happened." He sat down on a low stool besides the mattress on the ground where Jinsei was laying down. His forehead was bandaged and his arm was in a mitella. Masao looked the nurse in the eye that was standing ready with a bowl of medicinal tea and gestured her to leave. Without a word she got up and bowed before exiting the room and closing the sliding door. It was just the four of them now. The door to the backgarden was slightly ajar. Sunlight peeked into the room and the sound of birds drifted inside. A strangely beautiful day for one with such bad news._

"_Although the road is perilous without Inu no Taisho's lead and the temple difficult to find, we reached the gateway to the Forbidden Land. We started the ceremony and one for one removed the incantation layers that had been worn out. When we were down to the last two, it happened..." he had to swallow. Mei helped him drink some of the medicinal tea that was meant for him while he recovered his strength to continue. _

"_They had been waiting for us on the other side, I think they understood that Inu no Taisho was no longer there and that we don't have access to the artifacts. A loud drum could be heard from the other side of the gate, as though a battering ram was slammed against it. The door was forced open and the darkness leaked out. Black elongated arms shot out with clawed hands. They grabbed hold of my arm and broke it. Hioshi purified it and the arm crumbled, but there were many more. We fought long but... they took Hioshi and dragged him in..." _

_Kodama allowed his eyes to convey his shock, this was worse than he had expected. Jinsei paused. Hioshi had only been twenty-five and his life ended...he was filled with sadness for losing a comrade._

"_Continue, my friend," his master told him._

"_Wakana-sama told me to stay back, she used sutra charms to withhold the Sa'keeth and quickly performed the incantation of Shaah." _

_Mei nodded and a small smile played on her lips, oh how proud she was of her apprentice._

"_They were standing behind the barrier, they're terrible creatures, terrible! They've stored all their malice of the past ages and fired at once at Wakana-sama. The barrier broke. The Shadow seemed to devour her, but she was strong. She told me not to come. The ritual of Shaah had been performed. The Shadows got sucked inside the gate and it closed due to her actions. But they had poisoned Lady Wakana's body... 'Jinsei,' she said, 'don't touch me or it will spread to you. Use the final seal and get out of here.' She was brave. The Shadow had covered her body with a translucent layer of gray slime. It bubbled as if it was still alive, wanting to take over her body. But as I performed the final seal I saw a light from behind me, Wakana had purified herself and the Shadow along with it. She was gone...I couldn't even bring her necklace as a memento for..." _

_He was finished speaking. He told them everything what happened. Wakana... dead... and Hioshi. Who knew what the Sa'keeth would do to him on the other side. He looked at his master's face intently, expecting to see pain despite all the years of training to suppress ones emotions, but Kodama held himself together without betraying the storm that raged inside. _

"_Well done Jinsei, the gate is sealed again for now, that's ultimately what matters. We've lost good people, but it was a sacrifice needed to spare the world of a great danger. Please rest and get better my friend." He stood up from the stool, ready to take his leave. He would return immediately to the sanctuary up mount Fuji. _

"_High priestess Mei, please inform the girl."_

_He could not bring himself to tell her personally._

"Master Kodama?" Jinsei asked. Kodama had been staring at the neatly raked gravel garden outside of the house where they were staying. A leaf twirled down from the cherry-tree that stood in the middle. He looked up at high priest Jinsei.

"Is something wrong?" his old friend asked. The years had been heavy on Jinsei. Although six years younger, he looked ten years older than Kodama. Jinsei had always been dependable, his advisor, a friend.

"Just reminiscing... old memories," he responded with a sigh. At that moment the door to their room slid open.

"Your diner will be brought before you now, honored monks. Thank you for destroying the demon spirit that haunted our statue of Buddha."

"We thank you for this meal," Kodama said and bowed shortly, "may your town be blessed."

They had been following Haruna's tracks, but she had distanced herself from them so quickly, that was unexpected. Nevertheless it was not hard for Kodama to find her, he only had to use _that_ skill.

"Eat up and replenish your strength, a long day marching awaits," he told his group. The others eagerly sat down, but something had attracted Masao's attention. The call of a hawk.

"I think that's Hane, priestess Mei's hawk," he said pointing at the sky after he stepped outside. Jinsei walked into the garden and whistled loudly. The hawk flew down and flapped its powerful wings three times, hanging in mid air above his arm before it sat down.

"Feed him a treat, it was a long flight and he did good to find us," Masao told Yuuhi.

"Fetch me the message," Kodama commanded. Jinsei removed the string from the hawk's paw and handed him the tiny scroll. He hastily rolled it open and his eyes scanned from right to left to read the message. They could see his face harden.

"It has come this far..." he spoke softly and clenched his fist, crumpling the paper.

* * *

Sesshomaru, Jaken, Haruna and Ah-Un had taken to the sky again.

"Where are we going Sesshomaru-sama?" she asked him, he didn't even bother to respond. Haruna sighed. Sesshomaru sure wasn't talkative.

"To Rin's village, where Sesshomaru's annoying half-brother Inuyasha lives," Jaken told her.

"I get to meet your family?" Haruna wondered what his brother was like.

"I don't consider that disgrace to be related to me," Sesshomaru replied coldly.

"Inuyasha's father had left Lord Sesshomaru's mother for a human woman, Inuyasha is a half-demon, the reason why they hate each other," Jaken told her matter-of-factly. Sesshomaru gave him a meaningful look for telling his family's history without approval. It said: _continue and I'll kill you_.

"U-uhm... I said something wrong?" he stuttered, dropping a sweat.

"A half-demon huh... do you look alike?" Haruna asked. Silence.

"Well, there are similarities, they both have the same hair and eye color as their late father," Jaken answered in Sesshomaru's stead, "but Inuyasha is not as strong as Lord Sesshomaru of course. And Inuyasha lets a human girl follow him, they're romantically involved I think, and Lord Sesshomaru is now the same! I mean uhh- not that milord is in a relationship, he's too cold for that. Owh-uhm! I didn't mean to suggest you're anti-social milord Sesshomaru- ahh! Please don't kill meeeeee-!"

Sesshomaru flew next to them and had knocked Jaken off Ah-Un. He was falling down into the trees and they heard the branches break in the process, a flock of birds flew up. With a thump he fell to the ground, a big lump started to grow on his head.

"Mom was right, I should've become a ferryman. How could you be this cruel to me, milord!"

"Will he be okay?" Haruna inquired after she watched the imp crash down.

"Go get him," Sesshomaru told her flatly. She nodded and picked up Ah-Un's reigns, then she guided him down after Jaken.

"I guess Sesshomaru is really sensitive when it comes to his brother, better not say any more Jaken-san," she said squatting down next to the demon. Quickly she looked around if Sesshomaru was closeby and then continued with a hushed voice, "but you can tell me."

"How dare you insinuate I would talk about Sesshomaru's business behind his back," he squeaked indignantly. He pulled himself up, fixed the dent in his hat and dusted his kimono.

"Okay, okay, I get it," Haruna giggled, "you're lucky... you fell next to a comfrey plant. I'll crush the leaves and smear the salve on your wound."

"I'll do myself!" he huffed and tore a plant off.

"Uhm... that's not comfrey... it's nettle."

"My hand burns and itches!"

"No kidding..."

* * *

They continued to follow Sesshomaru in silence, Jaken yammering softly and scratching his itching hand while Haruna held Ah-Un's reigns. The landscape under them kept changing as they proceeded, but soon they came to a level meadow in between the mountains. She saw large rice plantations under her, a river with a wooden bridge that crossed it, and several wooden houses alongside an earthen road that let up a hill. Some figures on the ground looked up to them. Sesshomaru started to fly down and landed close to a pole gate with a rock stairs that led up to a shrine.

"Sesshomaru!" a crass voice yelled, "what do you show your face here for again?"

A guy walked over with his arms crossed, a scowl on his face. He looked a lot like Sesshomaru, if it wasn't for his smaller posture and dog ears sticking out of his hair.

"Inuyasha, I haven't come here to waste my time on you," Sesshomaru replied.

'So that's his brother, they are so rude to each other!' Haruna thought to herself.

"Keh!" Inuyasha spat.

"Ah come on, Inuyasha," a female voice spoke from behind him. It was a girl about her age dressed as a priestess. "He's probably come to see Rin again, you know how much she enjoys that."

"Everytime he comes his nasty smell lingers in town for a couple of days," Inuyasha said to defend himself.

"Can't you both be a little more respectful? Hello, brother-in-law," she greeted Sesshomaru waving at him with a smile, ignoring the deadly glare she got in return.

"I'll get straight to business. Where is Myouga?" Sesshomaru told Inuyasha.

"Myouga? I haven't seen him in a while..." the other replied. Kagome suddenly felt an itch and scratched her head.

"What do you need him for?" Inuyasha continued.

"It's none of your concern, Inuyasha," Sesshomaru curtly replied. His eyes trailed to Kagome who was now scratching her head furiously.

"Gahh, something's bothering me." Something small jumped out of her hair and landed on Inuyasha's neck where it attached itself. The tiny flea-demon sucked up some of Inuyasha's blood and got slapped in return.

"Inuyasha-sama! Hellooo," he said trying to sound innocent and not succeeding at it.

"Myouga-jiji... how long have you been in Kagome's hair?" Inuyasha asked threatingly, his head hovering over the tiny demon in his hand.

"Ahh-uhm! I arrived yesterday evening, but seeing you were busy..."

"Huh-what?" Inuyasha exclaimed getting red in his face, "but me and Kagome were..."

"It's okay master Inuyasha, at your age that's normal. I'm an old demon with a lot of life experience, so I understand," the flea-demon said like a mentor would talk to an underling.

"Why you-!" Inuyasha picked the flea-demon between his thumb and index finger and began squeezing him.

"Ahh, you two! Don't make things look bigger than they were, we were just cuddling!" Kagome sighed annoyed, putting her hands in her hips. Haruna looked from the indignant priestess to the half-demon who was torturing that little flea. This was Sesshomaru's brother? They had really different personalities.

"It wouldn't be bad to start thinking about kids, Kagome, I would be happy to be a godfather!" Myouga called out laboriously, "p-please Inuyasha-sama, stop!"

"Kids! I'm too young to think of that!" Kagome exclaimed.

"Y-yeah, you think I wanna have kids with Kagome?" Inuyasha blurted out.

"Inuyasha!"

He twitched his ears, knowing what was coming.

"SIT!"

He crashed to the ground and Myouga jumped out of his grasp.

"Well then, I think I'll leave you two lovebirds alone. It's been nice seeing you, Inuyasha-sama and Kagome-chan!"

"Where do you think you're going, Myouga?" Sesshomaru's manly but ever so chilling voice spoke. He gave the flea-demon a small smile which made him more nervous than Inuyasha's and Kagome's fury combined.

"Sesshomaru-sama... Ah-yes, you said you were looking for me?" he stammered faking he had forgotten or misheard.

"Yes, I need you to explain something for me."

"And what can I help you with?"

"I recently came across a bear demon who told me a seal was broken... my revered father would have something to do with that seal."

"A seal? Hmmmm," Myouga crossed his arms in deep thought, "no, I can't think of anything."

"Uhm, excuse me," Haruna said insecure at intruding in their conversation, "but this demon mentioned something about... Sake? No... Sakit? No, that's not right.. ah- Sa'keeth!"

"Sa'keeth?" Myouga squinted his eyes and rubbed his little chin with one of his paws, "ah yes! The ancient folk that was banished from this world! Yes, Sesshomaru-sama, your father lend his assistance to a group of monks once every twenty years in order to ensure the Sa'keeth would never return to our world, as his father and grandfather have done before him. It was top-secret, if any evil cold-hearted demon would know and damage the seal... there'd be trouble!"

Sesshomaru was staring at Myouga.

'Owh, is he feeling hurt that his father never let him in on this?' Jaken was thinking.

"Did you know about this, Inuyasha?" Sesshomaru asked keeping his eyes on the small flea-demon.

"No, I didn't," an oblivious Inuyasha returned, "what's going on?"

"I'm trying to find out. Tell me more, Myouga."

"W-well... there isn't a lot more to tell... it was top-secret after all and e-even I, a humble and loyal servant..." his voice trailed off. Sesshomaru didn't look happy.

"B-but the Order of monks and priestesses still exists to this day! After your father passed away, Gods bless him, they continued their mission to re-seal the gateway to the Forbidden Lands of the banished Sa'keeth. They should've written chronicles about this. I remember something about a scroll..."

"The Order?" Haruna said surprised, "yes, the old demon lady mentioned this too. It happens I'm a priestess of the Order... well, sort of..."

"Really? Sesshomaru, who is this girl?" Inuyasha said incredulously. He looked at Haruna, now he recalled how odd it was for Sesshomaru to travel around with a human girl. His older brother ignored him and was looking at the priestess. Haruna didn't notice him stare as she was looking at Myouga, her face betrayed she was surprised to hear that the Order she belonged to was related to Sesshomaru's family. She brushed a strand of her slanted bangs out of her face. Her lips were slightly pouting. Her appearance showed in nothing she was a priestess from a secret Order. Unlike Kagome who wore the outfit of a miko, she was wearing an average-made summer kimono one would wear at a party.

"And... I think I know about this scroll."

They watched Haruna take her bag off her back and squat down to open the knot. She revealed a yellowing scroll from it.

"That could be it!" Myouga called out jumping up and down, "now you just have to translate the secret language that was passed down within your Order to answer Lord Sesshomaru's question!"

"Heh...you seem to be well informed," Haruna said chuckling unamused, "but I can't read it."

"But... you're a priestess of this Order-thing, right?" Kagome asked.

"I was about to be initiated and taught the language that opened the door to all the Order's secrets, but I kind of... ran away?" she said scratching her neck.

"Keh, that's useful!" Inuyasha scowled.

"I'm sorry!" she laughed sheepishly, "but at least we got this scroll."

Sesshomaru kept his eyes on her and said nothing.

"But can't you contact someone of your Order?" Jaken asked.

"Yes... yes... we can do that," Haruna absentmindedly replied. She didn't feel ready to return to the Order, but the scene in the bear-demon village had been so disturbing... Something had killed all those demons... and that weird puddle. If this scroll was related to that... She looked up to Sesshomaru with a worried frown and looked him in his eyes.

"I suppose we should find out the meaning of this," she mumbled. He didn't give a sign of what he was thinking but she imagined he agreed.

"But before you go anywhere, you are going to explain what all this rush is for." It was Kaede, she came walking towards them leaning on a stick. Her joints weren't what they used to be. And something colorful walked behind her... Haruna opened her mouth to say something.

'Isn't that-?'

* * *

A/N: Reader, we all know who that 'something colorful' walking behind Kaede is right? Still I thought it'd be good to leave you here. Making Inuyasha 'sit' was also very satisfying. Feel the wrath of Kagome Higurashi! haha xD

Pwease review! :)


	10. Chapter 10: Kaede's Village

Chapter Ten

"You are Rin, right?" Haruna asked the girl standing behind Kaede. She was wearing a beautiful kimono, it contrasted with Kaede's clean but obviously old red and white priestess robes.

"I am. When Sesshomaru-sama saved us you fainted, I was afraid you would die. I asked Sesshomaru to help you and he took you to the nearest village. I'm so glad to see you are alright!"

"Thank you, and me too! To see you're okay I mean." They smiled at each other.

"So this is the woman you've talked about Rin," Kaede said, "welcome to our village. Well, I suppose here in the middle of the street isn't the best place to discuss matters. Will you all please follow me to my hut?"

"Ah, alright," Haruna responded.

"I owe you no explanation," Sesshomaru told Kaede. Kaede stared at him blankly for a second, already having plenty of experience with Sesshomaru's personality and turned to Haruna.

"But you will clear things up for us, won't you Haruna-san?" she asked. Haruna nodded.

"I think this could concern us all," she told Kaede. She inconspicuously tried to look at Sesshomaru wondering if he'd get upset since he wasn't prepared to explain the matter himself, but he showed no sign of annoyance.

"Seems you're not needed, Sesshomaru," Inuyasha said with a grin.

"Owh you, Inuyasha, why are you always looking for a fight," Kagome sighed annoyed.

"It's that smug look of his, he looks too full of himself ever since he got bakusaiga," Inuyasha retorted.

"Don't test my patience, Inuyasha," Sesshomaru was glaring at his younger half brother.

"Yeah? Well I'll be happy to take you on anyday!" Inuyasha said grabbing hold of his tessaiga and pulling an enlarged blade out. Haruna raised her eyebrows. The sword that had seemed regular inside its sheath was now huge! He held it high above his head, ready to jump forward to his brother.

"Inuyasha... sit."

A light shone around the beads of his necklace and he crashed to the ground.

"Uhm, is that okay?" Haruna asked insecure and looked from Kagome to Inuyasha. She realized Inuyasha had a spell on him by now that reacted to a key word.

"Owh he'll survive, he should have gotten used to it by now," Kaede replied. She, Rin and Kagome were already starting down the path to her hut.

"I'll never get used to this," moaned Inuyasha with his face in the dirt.

"Serves your right!" Jaken called out as he passed Inuyasha who lay flat on his belly.

Once they were inside of Kaede's hut, Sesshomaru stood outside of the door but within hearing reach of what was said. Rin was outside tending to her garden, momentarily distracted by a monarch butterfly landing on a bed of flowers close to Kaede's house. She had learnt from the half-demon Jinenji how to attend to plants and gathered seeds of various types of flowers. Rin goes into the wilderness close to the village to collect them, or whenever she could when she was travelling with Sesshomaru. She planted them all around Kaede's house, which was now possibly the most colorful hut in the entire region. Sesshomaru didn't care for flowers, but he did care for Rin's feelings. "Flowers make people happy!" she had said when Jaken once inquired why she'd go through so much trouble to grow them. She hoped she could grow a hundred different ones. Jaken was inside Kaede's hut, sitting close to the door and Sesshomaru, who looked at Haruna and Inuyasha's company from the corner of his eyes. They were waiting for Sango, Miroku and Shippo to arrive.

"So where do you come from?" Inuyasha asked Haruna. He was sitting with crossed legs, arms folded and his sword rested against his shoulder.

"From Yamanakako, near mount Fuji," she replied.

"Mount Fuji? It takes a long time to get there from here," Kaede said, "and you're a priestess? Yes, I can sense you have the gift of purification."

"I got that from my mother I believe," she answered. Involuntarily she fumbled with her kimono sleeve. Kagome noticed.

"Did something happen to your mother, Haruna?" she asked softly.

"She passed away during a mission for the Order, her body was never returned to me. I had already lost my father when I was very little, my mother was the only relative I still had. I have very few memories of my father, but my mother and I used to spend a lot of time together when she was home, in the temple that is. I was seven when she died."

"That must've been hard on you to loose your mother," Kagome replied.

"Yes of course, but... everyone has a story to tell, everyone suffers from some form of pain. Losing your parents is nothing special in this era. I try to commemorate my parents by thinking of the good memories we shared. My mother would've wanted me to live with my chin high, without fears or regrets. Besides, I wasn't alone, there were people to take care of me."

"It sounds like your mother was a good person," Kagome told her. Something about her seemed a little melancholic as well.

'Perhaps she thinks of her mother too.'

"You asked us to come?" It was Sango's voice. She stepped into Kaede's hut followed by Miroku and Shippo.

"So Sesshomaru-sama is here as well," Miroku stated, "it must mean something is going on."

"Yes Miroku-sama! Please sit down so everyone can be informed," Myouga told him from Inuyasha's shoulder.

"And who's this beautiful lady?" Miroku asked out loud.

"That's Haruna, she's come with Sesshomaru and she saved Rin's life in the past," Kaede answered. He knelt down and grabbed hold of her hand and stared earnestly into her eyes.

"I'm Miroku, pleased to meet you! A friend of Rin is a friend of mine too. Hopefully we can get to know each other..."

Haruna was a little startled and smiled uncomfortably, this Miroku was intense! In the meantime the atmosphere around Sango turned electric and chilly. She fiercely grabbed him by his earlobe.

"Now, now Miroku dear, isn't this a little too much for an introduction?" She pulled him away from Haruna.

"At least he didn't ask her to bear his children," Kagome whispered to Inuyasha and Shippo.

"More children? He already has three!" Shippo whispered back.

"Don't mind my husband please. My name is Sango," she said while sitting down next to Haruna. She gave her a genuine smile. Haruna was happy Sango wasn't angry with her.

"Well, let's get started. Haruna, explain what you and Sesshomaru are after. It seemed serious," Kaede told her. And so Haruna began to talk. She explained that they had crossed upon a demon village and what bloodbath they had seen there. She told them about the old woman mentioning the Ino no Taisho, a seal, Sa'keeth and the Order. She showed them the scroll she had in her possession. Lastly she described the strange black puddle that she had purified.

"So there's a powerful enemy out there...one or more..." Inuyasha said.

"It seems that way, it's best you all keep on the lookout," Haruna replied seriously.

"We will indeed, thank you," Kaede said, "so this seal has something to do with your father Inuyasha and with a special order of priests. I have heard stories about a school for priests and priestesses on the base of mount Fuji, but never about an Order."

"I'm not surprised, they're not unlike other priests apart that they devote themselves to exclusive causes in secret. They don't share their knowledge and few know about their activities besides the normal duties of a priest. Frankly, even I don't know everything..."

"What are you going to do now? Look for someone of your Order?" Kagome asked.

"I guess I'll have to if we want to find out the true implications of all this..." she sighed.

"If you need help, let us know. In the meantime we'll make sure everyone here is save," Inuyasha said to Haruna. For a moment he also eyed his brother standing close to the door opening. Kagome smiled softly. She understood that with that look he meant to say to Sesshomaru that he'd protect Rin in Sesshomaru's absence. Everyone knew that without question, but that little gesture meant that somewhere Inuyasha did care for Sesshomaru's thoughts. She hadn't lost hope that in the future the two brothers would start to get along... perhaps even _like _each other. She sighed in thought. No, maybe that was still too much to ask...

Rin walked into the hut and sat down next to Kagome.

"We need to leave soon," Sesshomaru spoke. It was the first time he had said something. Normally he would've taken off if he wanted to, but he realized to his irritation that he needed this human woman to help him understand his father's affairs. It quite hit a sensitive snare.

"Please stay for the night!" it was Rin this time.

"Hnn..." Sesshomaru replied.

"Would you like to stay tonight, Haruna?" Rin asked turning to the older girl.

"Yes, I would. I would also like to take some time to check out this village's merchandise. I need a new rosary and paper for sutra charms..."

"Well, then you should get proper clothing too! You're a miko, but you don't look like one. You should be proud of your profession!" Kaede told her and chuckled.

"Heh... I suppose you're right," Haruna replied with a timid smile.

"Have no fears or regrets, to be a priestess is hard but also gratifying," Kaede told her with a warm smile, reminding Haruna of what she had told them earlier about her mother. Haruna nodded.

'I should be true to myself. Despite the fact I turned my back on the Order, that doesn't change I'm a miko. There is no need to hide.'

Kaede was old but her eyes never betrayed her. Being the sister of Lady Kikyo, she too possessed strong spiritual powers, though not as grand as her late sister. She was able to read people from their movements and expressions and it was as though she could see in their hearts. In that moment Haruna straightened her back a little as though part of a weight had been lifted. A light within was shining slightly brighter. Kaede realized that Haruna was subconsciously suppressing her skills with her emotions, but no one could help Haruna. If she thought it beneficial for the girl she would. But with these kind of issues, to become stronger Haruna would have to deal with her inner demons herself.

* * *

Haruna spent the rest of the day with Kagome, Sango and Rin while they looked after Sango's children: twin sisters of four years old and a boy of about two years. They talked and she began to quite like these women. She found out they had met on a quest to kill the giant spider demon Naraku. Stories of Naraku drifted to the temple where Haruna used to live as well. She heard he was big enough to block the sun from shining on the land and that the fumes he emitted killed all life that came in touch with it. She knew this was true: the miasma dispersed on the wind but small concentrations of poison in the air were registered by the priests around that time, already five years ago.

"I admire you for your courage, Kagome and Sango. I do find it hard to believe you're from the future though, Kagome..."

"Well, I can prove it," Kagome said triumphantly.

"Ehh? How? The well doesn't work anymore Kagome..." Sango replied.

"I still have two or three cup-ramen packages," she said grinning.  
"How can you still be able to eat that? It's been two years since you returned!" Sango asked increduously.

"In the future food is sealed in a special way that preserves it... If I remember correctly it expires by the end of this year. It should still be edible..."

"What is cup-ramen?" Haruna asked.

"It's a type of soup, with noodles. Shippo and Inuyasha love it. I kept a secret stack for myself to enjoy from time to time, but I'll let you try. Be right back!" she got up and hurried to her own house. Haruna couldn't think how soup could prove someone came from the future, but was curious what Kagome was going to bring back.

"I'll boil some water then," Sango sighed.

Half an hour later the cup-ramen was ready. Kagome handed the hysterically colored cup to her. What strange material it was made from... solid, smooth and quite flexible at the same time. The inside was perfectly white. It smelled spicy. She brought it to her lips and took a sip.

"Ahh, I forgot to ask, you like chili I hope? This is extra spicy..."

Kagome sure wasn't lying. The soup was hot already but the chili made it worse, her tongue burned.

"I guess it's nicer if you just eat the noodles," Kagome giggled. Haruna tried the stringy food and was pleasantly surprised by their taste.

"Hey... this isn't all that bad Kagome! So you eat this in the future all the time?"

"Hmm well, it's more like a snack than a meal."

"Maybe I should ask Sesshomaru if he wants to try..." she mumbled.

"Sesshomaru?" Sango exclaimed looking at her as if she said something crazy.

"Sesshomaru-sama doesn't like to eat human food," Rin told her.

"Ah well, never mind then."

Sango and Kagome shared a look.

"Sooo... what's he like? Sesshomaru... To be honest, we're all surprised to see you came with him. He usually doesn't like company," Kagome told Haruna while she wrapped her arms around her legs.  
"Oh, is that so?" Haruna asked chuckling, "I notice he's not very talkative... He's not _nice_ in the regular sense of the word, like people who are outrovert or warm towards others, but he didn't turn me away either and he seems to respect me in his silence, yeah, so I guess I do think he's nice."

Rin smiled. "Yes, Sesshomaru-sama is more kind than meets the eye!"

"He did change the past few years since we first met him... didn't he Kagome?" Sango mumbled. Kagome nodded in return.

The rest of the day Haruna explored the village and bought some things she would need for travelling. She got a pouch from Sango made of demon leather and thus very durable in which she could keep medicinal herbs she bought from Kaede. She got herself a straw hat and a new pair of shoes, and through Miroku (under Sango's watchful eye) obtained a rosary and paper for sutra charms. She filled her inkwell and finally bought dried rice and vegetables from the farmers. Kagome gave her a pair of red_ hakama _pants and white kimono top so she could dress like a priestess. The next day she was all set. She had slept in Kaede's house while Sesshomaru and Jaken where somewhere in the wild, not too far away she assumed. They were waiting for her in the morning anyway.  
"Come out, or we're leaving without you!" she heard Jaken from outside Kaede's hut. She was just enjoying some fruit as breakfast.

"Be there in a minute, Jaken-san!" she yelled back at him. She had a good sleep and felt refreshed. It was a good day to set out traveling again.

"This is goodbye, Kaede. Thank you so much for welcoming me in your village, I'm sure I'll return." She gave the older woman a short bow to show her respect.

"You'll be more than welcome," Kaede replied.

Haruna stepped out into the morning light and saw Jaken sitting on Ah-Un while Sesshomaru stood closeby. Haruna stretched her arms and legs.  
"Goodmorning!" she said to them and climbed behind Jaken on Ah-Un.

"Let's go to Yamanakako. Mount Fuji is south-west from here," Haruna said to Sesshomaru and Jaken. Kaede was standing outside with Rin waving goodbye. Ah-Un jumped up and started flying higher, going after Sesshomaru. Kaede's village was getting smaller and smaller under them. In front of them the wilderness stretched out and in the distance they could make out peaks of several mountains. Little did they know someone else was watching their departure other than Kaede and Rin. A black smoky hand rested on a tree trunk as a pair of eyes peered into the sky, then the creature backed down and melted with the shadows...

* * *

A/N: Sorry for not having updated in a while! I've been busy. I'm going on a short holiday, so you can expect next chapter to be up next week. This chapter wasn't the most exciting, but hope you enjoyed anyway ^_^  
I also received some wonderful reviews, thanks for that! Knowing others enjoy your writing makes it all the more worthwhile.  
Til' next time, Demiyah ~


	11. Chapter 11: The Deity Inside The Lake

Chapter Eleven

"I didn't realize that it was this far," Haruna sighed. They had been flying for quite a while and the sky above them was ominously gray. Maybe it would rain later. In the distance a lake doomed up from behind the tree filled hills. Something starting to gnaw at her insides, it was a familiar feeling.

'There's a pretty strong yokai around here,' Haruna thought to herself. She scanned the area to see where it could come from. Then she spotted the town build at the right side of the lake. A small enclosed castle overlooked the town. A higher tower stood close to the water side. It seemed to be primarily a fishermen's village, because only a few patches of land were unploughed and cultivated to grow vegetables. It was still quite far away, but if Haruna looked at this town she could feel the evil aura of a demon.

"Do you feel it too, Sesshomaru-sama? The aura?"

"What of it?" was his reply.

"Well, perhaps we should check it out."

"I have no business with these humans, we're heading to Fuji," he retorted.

"But it would be okay to arrive a bit later," Haruna protested, "there's no harm in seeing if they need help."

"We've understood you're a priestess, but you don't have to act like one now! First things first," Jaken stated, "you promised Lord Sesshomaru you would help clear up the issue around the demon-woman's warning."

Haruna looked back at the village, they were now nearly passing over it. The knot in her stomach and dread in her heart was growing. The town seemed normal enough from a distance. All the villagers in the open were eagerly working. Spreading their nets in the water in front of the village from their boats, tending to the radish and rice fields. None of them were loitering around, hard workers indeed.

"Perhaps they don't know the danger they're in, I want to check it out. It might even lead to a clue that can help us on our own quest," she said.

"Do as you wish," Sesshomaru had his head tilted far enough to look at Haruna's face. He then turned away from her and continued flying forward.

"You're not coming? Okay, I'll see for myself."

Haruna pulled twice on Ah-Un's reigns. It took Ah-Un a moment, he was not used to be commanded to swerve away from Sesshomaru's lead, but ultimately the two-headed dragon responded to her demands.

"H-hey! Who said I'm coming with you?! Ah-Un, stop decending," Jaken called out.

"How else do I get to the ground? You can stay with Ah-Un if you want," Haruna told him. Ah-Un was closing in on the ground quickly, she could hear the wind howl in her ears from the speed and Jaken was holding onto Ah-Un's saddle not to fall off. A sigh of relief went through the imps body when the dragon landed. Haruna let herself slide off Ah-Un's back and landed with her sandaled feet in the grass. She didn't land too close to the village on purpose, she didn't want to scare the villagers.

"Jaken-san, I'll be back before nightfall, okay?"

"Ah...? Fine, I'll stay here," he replied. Haruna waved at him and walked off into the direction of the village. She disappeared soon in the thicket. Ah-Un lowered his heads to graze and Jaken leaned back in his saddle with a dreary look on his face.

'I should be at Lord Sesshomaru's side, aiding him, instead of waiting like a mere lackey for this human wench... Lord Sesshomaru, how could you abandon me this way? Should I go after him? But then Haruna wouldn't be able to find us while Sesshomaru-sama apparently has interest in that scroll she carries...' he grumbled dramatically in thought, his yellow eyes glimmered while he looked up at the sky. The thought of being separated from his Lord for such a lowly job as waiting for a human to return from helping other humans aggravated him. Then he hopped off Ah-Un's back and kicked the grass in front of him.

'All because of the insolent girl! She's worse than Rin!' for a moment he missed the younger girl and wished she could be there pestering him with her songs or flowers instead of this dull waiting alone with Ah-Un.

'What shall I do? What shall I do?' he looked around him. He spotted several flowers and an idea formed in his head. 'I'll let chance decide!'

He picked a flower from the ground and started to pull out the petals one by one.

"I go to Sesshomaru-sama... I wait for Haruna... I go to Sesshomaru-sama... I wait for Haruna..."

* * *

Meanwhile Haruna was nearing the edge of the village. She walked passed the fields and saw a farmer collecting radishes in a weaved basket on his back.

"Excuse me? Hello!" she said. No reaction. He didn't even look up to her.

'Maybe he didn't hear?' She put her hands around her mouth.

"Hello there!" she called out. He must've heard her this time for sure, but she got no reaction. In the distance she could see a woman with a baby on her back carrying a small cart with bails of hay. She decided to leave the farmer to his work and ask that lady if she could help with a demon-issue. This time Haruna made sure she could see her eyes.

"Hi, I just arrived to your town and-" Something about this woman's face made her stop talking. Her underlip was trembling and she tried to avoid looking back at Haruna. This only made Haruna pay more attention to her, wondering what was wrong.

"P-please, I have work to do. T-talk to the chief," the woman stuttered with a hushed voice. At that moment someone appeared from one of the huts.

"If your mouth's moving, you ain't working! There can be no talking, I said!" it seemed to be a castle guard. He was holding a pike.

"A stranger?" he said, looking at Haruna. His eyes scanned her up and down, noticing she was a priestess.

"Miko-sama, if you enter this town I must lead you before Lord Yoshida," he curtly told her. Haruna looked another time at the woman who stood close to her. Did she see her tremble? It was as though she wanted to make herself as small and unnoticeable to the guard as possible. Haruna looked back at the guard.

"Very well, lead the way."

He gestured her to follow and they walked up a dirt path towards the castle. It was a joyless place: made of gray stone material, discolored by age and weather. Grim faced guards stood at each side of a gate that led to a cobble stone courtyard. The courtyard was adorned by cherry trees that had been planted alongside the enclosure, but right now they didn't blossom or even bear a leaf. It was strange, but other than that Haruna payed no notice. In the middle of the courtyard stood a huge pot, a few lines of smoke from incense trailed up from it. Near the entrance to the main building was a company of guards and officials. The castle lord was comfortably seated on a pillow, his entourage of advisors and caretakers either sitting close to him or standing behind him ready to do his bidding. Haruna and the guard halted a few yards in front of the lord. The smell of incense was stronger here. There was a smaller pot of the stuff next to the castle lord on a plate with an iron teapot and cup.

"Oh-ho? Welcome priestess, what do you visit our town for?" the lord said amused. He smiled lightly at Haruna. He looked older than her, but perhaps only by five years. He wore dark green robes with maroon and yellow details. Haruna gave him a short bow.

"I sensed an evil aura. It could be your town is in need of purging. There is strong demon activity around here."

"Demon activity, you say? Hah! Perhaps you've felt the spirit from the lake, but our town is clean. How dare you insinuate that there's evil in Lord Yoshida's town? Preposterous!" it wasn't the lord who spoke this time, but a chubby man with a long thin mustache that sat a step lower than the lord on a pillow. Lord Yoshida laughed this time.

"Come now, we can't just ignore the priestess warnings," then he turned to Haruna, "I'm sorry for my advisors reaction, but apart from our seasonal offerings to the lake spirit everything is well."

"When I was in town the villagers didn't dare to talk to me. What happened?"

"Ahh, they must've been pushed too hard by the guards. I must look like a bad lord. It is true that the spirit of the lake started acting strange this time, demanding more offerings than usual. We even have to offer him maidens. I had to put everyone at work in order to meet his demands... I don't want the town to risk the spirit's wrath. Sometimes one has to make difficult and painful decisions to avoid a greater disaster."

Haruna was silent.

"And are you okay to meet these demands?" she finally asked.

"This spirit is a protective deity that has lived near our village for a long time. Is there anything we can do? Unless you have a solution, priestess..." he took a sip from his tea.

Everyone looked at Haruna intently.

"I will see the spirit of the lake," she replied.

"But you can't harm him!" the chubby man barked, "Mizuhebiza-sama's demands might be harsh now, but he has protected this town from other demons for over a century! Only a week ago he fought a demon enemy to protect our town. Perhaps he's wounded and needs more offerings to heal himself!"

"You are right, Fukumatsu, but calm down," Yoshida said.

"Forgive me my lord, but I have one more protest. Letting anyone other than your honorable self or your family approach Mizuhebiza-sama is blasphemy. No one other than the maidens we offer have ever laid eyes on him, but since Mizuhebiza-sama is acting unpredictably as of late it's too dangerous for yourself to see him."

"Those are indeed our traditions..." Yoshida said and cupped his chin in a hand. He contemplated for a moment, staring into nothing, but then averted his gaze to the priestess in front of him. Haruna took this as a sign she was allowed to speak.

"You can send me with the offerings and I will be able to communicate with the spririt," Haruna said.

"I was thinking this was a solution as well, but didn't dare to ask it of you. I'm glad you offer yourself, priestess," he smiled back at her. Something about that smile was a little unsettling, _sly_ you could say.

"Lord Yoshida has decided," Fukumatsu spoke haughtily, "the offering takes place at sunset and you will go as maiden."

* * *

"I wait for Haruna!" an indignant Jaken called out frustrated. He had plucked the petals of several flowers but always got the same answer.

"Chance is thwarting me," he grumbled, "this can't be right!"

He looked at the sky and noticed it started to color purple and pinkish, it would be getting night soon.

'If she doesn't arrive soon I'll go to Sesshomaru-sama anyway. I have no obligation to wait any longer than that,' he thought and crossed his arms. After Ah-Un ate his belly round he fell asleep, he lay curled up in the grass, his two long-necked heads on top of his tail. Jaken sat down and leaned against Ah-Un's back.

"Owh Lord Sesshomaru, where are you now?" he mumbled to himself.

* * *

Haruna was in the village next to a pier. She looked out across the water and saw there was a thick mist hanging over the lake further away. A ceremonial boat had been laden with food and other stuff such as carved figures to please the spirit of the lake. The entire town was gathered there to see Haruna take off. They stared at her, partly relieved none of their daughters were going to be offered but also worried if this scheme would help calm the deity or raise his anger. Haruna was going to get transported with the offerings to a small island with a shrine in the lake. There she'd have to wait until the spirit showed himself. Lord Yoshida was at the site as well.

"Goodluck, priestess," he said when she and two fishermen boarded the boat. She nodded back at him.

For what seemed a long time the men rowed the boat in silence, cutting through the still water. The mist blocked almost all view around and above them, but the decreasing light told her nightfall was quickly nearing. She had to think about Jaken and Sesshomaru and hoped they wouldn't get too mad at her for staying away for so long. She was not surprised they weren't willing to help this town, demons rarely were. But Lord Sesshomaru and Jaken were no ordinary demons. Seeing how they cared about Rin and tolerated her company she thought they'd be a little more understanding of her sense of duty towards other humans.

'Ah well... I just hope I can get this over with quickly,' she thought.

"Are we there soon?" she asked the fishermen.

"Yes, only a few minutes," one replied.

She wondered how they were able to find their way through the mist, they must've navigated to this island quite frequently. Time passed and before she knew it the boat scraped across the sandy bottom: they had arrived. She helped them unladen the boat and install all the offerings in front of the shrine, close to the water. The island was bare apart from the wooden shrine which contained a rock statue of a snake-like creature. The fishermen lit two torches next to the shrine; probably it was to signal the spirit of the lake rather than offer Haruna some light.

"Well... goodluck," the fishermen told her and quickly got back in the boat. It didn't take long or the mist swallowed them and she was truly alone. Out there on the island the demon aura was strong and she felt fully immersed in it. Perhaps only half an hour passed when she could hear something bubbling. The water was moving more wildly and splashed against the shore. A slender figure rose up from the deep. It was a majestic creature, a dragon: its back and sides were covered with white scales that had a pearly shine to them, it's belly was light blue. It had two short scaled arms that each held three fingered claws with long yellowish nails. Mizuhebiza towered fifteen yards above her. He had four long light blue whiskers that dropped down three yards each from his long nose and his eyes were yellow.

"Hello, priestess... Thank you for coming," he growled, curling his lips and exposing his fangs.

"Mizuhebiza-sama, I've learnt from the townsmen that you are a protective deity. Then why do you demand human offerings?" she yelled back at him. In the mist her voice didn't carry far.

"Why should you, a mere mortal, understand me? Is it not enough I protect the town despite these humans' arrogance?" he boomed back.

"The town is currently suffering under your strict demands," she replied.

"Then let me eat you, and perhaps I'll be satisfied," he returned and grinned evilly.

"I won't let you," she coldly replied.

"This shall be amusing!" the dragon sneered and drew in his breath. Haruna grabbed the rosary Miroku provided her and held it between her fingers. A beam of high pressured water came out of Mizuhebiza's mouth, only a few inches wide. It tore through the beach and left a deep cut there, he dragged it to the right where Haruna was standing and when it came in touch with the baskets of radish they got torn apart and the vegetables flew everywhere. Haruna had formed a barrier to block the attack. When it hit her shield the water sprang all over the place, she could barely see the dragon in front of her. She grabbed sutra charms with her free hand and threw four of them in the direction she knew the dragon was standing. The attack stopped. She saw how the sutra charms that hit target sparked like lightning on the dragon's upper and lower chest. Mizuhebiza looked down at them and started to chuckle. Then he roared with laughter and peeled the sutra off with his claws.

"You think," he laughed, "that these silly pieces of paper can harm a deity? I'm no ordinary demon, fool! Pay for your ignorance."

He opened his mouth to attack. For the second time the ray of water hit Haruna's barrier, this time harder. The size of the barrier was diminishing. She gritted her teeth and took a step back. She had to hold! Her hand and arm were trembling. Haruna gathered more spiritual energy and pushed the hand that clutched the rosary up, with that the barrier gained size, but at the same moment the dragon's tail which had been hidden underwater swooped across the small island. It was almost too fast for her to react to, but being trained by the Order meant that she had refined control over her muscles. She strained her muscles to jump at the right time over the tail which destroyed the shrine in the process. She heard the wood crack behind her and the stone statue fell over and broke in two.

"Why? Why are you so angry?" she yelled at the dragon.

"It's that idiot lord Yoshida! After I had fought a demon a week ago to protect this town I got injured, he came to me only to laugh in my face. He told me I had grown fat and slow by his town's support. Those ungrateful humans deserve to grovel for this insult! And now he sent you to provoke me even more! Hah, he thinks I can be purified by a mere priestess? When I'm done with you I'll make sure his entire castle is flattened even with the ground."

Haruna was shocked by this revelation. So the lord had instigated the spirit's anger? But why would he do a thing like that?

"I'm not your enemy, Mizuhebiza-sama, perhaps we can turn this for the better!" she replied.

"No! It's too late! You shall die by my hand!" he roared. His body coiled and he swooped his tail another time across the island. Haruna barely managed to avoid. The katana on her side throbbed.

'Not now, shit, don't start getting hot now!' she cursed inside her thoughts, but she could feel the katana heat up through it's sheath. She grabbed hold of the hilt and it throbbed under her hand, with her other she held up the rosary. There came the tail of the dragon again, rubble from the shrine and woodsplinters where flying around together with a cloud of sand. The katana throbbed again, this time she could feel it resonate through her body. The palm of her hand was hurting from the heat, while her other hand was trembling trying to ward off the dragon's attack with the barrier. And it throbbed once more, like a heartbeat that could be felt throughout her entire body. Her eyes sperred open, something seeped through her fingers up her arm. Power. It felt rejuvenating. She lifted the sheathed sword from it's strap and held it before her and the barrier grew to the size of the island. She watched it broaden, amazed that such strength had been hidden in the sword. Haruna remembered the teachings of her master, the harsh classes she endured to hone her skills. She lowered the hand that held the rosary and tucked it back into her kimono. With her now freed hand she started to form a series of hand signs.

"I won't kill you, but I'll petrify you if I can!" she called out and immediately after that started to recite the charm Kodama taught her.

"_Namu Namu Amida Ryorei Lanshikiri Sho Raikan!_"

A yellow beam of light shot across the water surface and hit the dragon in his chest. He fell backwards into the water with a big splash. A large wave of water that came to Haruna's knees washed over the destroyed island. Mizuhebiza twisted and coiled his body trying to resist Haruna's spell, sending more waves of water her way. She braced herself against them. She saw her incantation had not been enough and grabbed more sutra charms. Haruna held them between her fingers and they glowed with spiritual power. She threw them at him and he roared in pain. It was over, she did it. The dragon floated immobilized on the water surface for now.

Then someone clapped listlessly behind her. Startled she quickly turned around to see lord Yoshida had set foot on the island. He had approached alone on a boat without her knowing.

"Bravo! Bravo!" he said sarcastically and looked at her with a scowl. In his hand he held a pot of incense. Suddenly she understood who was the true felon here.

"You!" she growled, "you've used me to weaken the spirit of the lake!"

"O-ho! You've figured it out. Guess there's no use in keeping this stinking pot around me any longer then," he casually threw it in the water where it disappeared. When the smoke of incense faded Haruna started to feel demonic aura coming from the lord. He had used the power of the incense to mask his true nature.

"You're a demon that has taken over lord Yoshida, you're planning to devour the dragon aren't you?" she bitterly spat at him. He chuckled darkly.

"You've succeeded at petrifying the dragon, which means I can first drain all the strength left in you and then eat Mizuhebiza to take on my true form once again! Possessing this human has been fun, but I'm getting bored of this weak shell."

Without warning his eyes lit up red. Haruna looked straight into those eyes and felt her body get limp. In that instant her mind panicked and the images of Kodama and Sesshomaru flashed before her. None of those men where there to save her now.

"S-sesshomaru..." she moaned before she fell to the ground.

"That's a good girl," the demon Yoshida sneered, "do despair, you'll taste so much better! No one will come... The villagers don't dare to enter this sacred island and the mist is too thick for anyone else to find us. I'll enjoy feasting on your body!" He stretched out his hand to her with a wicked smile on his face. Jaken was far away and she didn't have a clue where Sesshomaru was.

Lord Yoshida's face turned pale green and a row of horns grew out of his hair: the demon's true face. Drool was dripping from the corner of his mouth when he watched Haruna's lying form in the sand. She tried to move, but her body didn't react. The demon chuckled and the red glow in his eyes became stronger.

"Yes, try to resist, feel how powerless you've become!"

'Sesshomaru-sama, Jaken-san, anyone!' she pleaded in thought, feeling too well how helpless she was at the moment.


	12. Chapter 12: The Demon Defeated

Chapter Twelve

Jaken was bored and looked around him. It was practically night by now: the stars had come out, the moon was visible. The last ray of sun that peeked over the horizon wasn't worth noting and Haruna had not returned. The imp eyed a flower close to him. Should he? One more try? Who was he kidding... He didn't have to leave the decision up to chance using a silly game Rin might fancy, he was a demon lord of himself back in the day! He stood up and straightened his kimono.

'Sesshomaru-sama, I'm coming your way now!' he thought determined.

"Where's the priestess?" a voice behind him said he knew very well.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken called out happily, "you've returned!"

Ah-Un lifted his heads too to look at his master.

"You haven't answered my question yet, Jaken," he calmly replied walking over.

"Ah, owh yes milord. Haruna is still at the village it seems."

"I've sensed a strong demonic aura," Sesshomaru replied, "although I wished it otherwise, I need this woman to find out the meaning of the seal my father apparently guarded if I'd believe the demon. Why haven't you followed her, Jaken?"

"Ah uhm, she told me to wait milord," his loyal servant replied.

"Then wait here for us to return now," Sesshomaru told him, he brushed his hand through his hair and then turned around to walk away in the direction of the village.

"Wait, won't you let me take care of things? You don't have to bother yourself with these humans, Lord Sesshomaru," Jaken quickly exclaimed. He grabbed his human head staff and ran after Sesshomaru despite his command. Sesshomaru said nothing more and let Jaken himself decide whether to avoid danger or not.

* * *

Haruna watched the pale green hand of the demon Yoshida get closer and closer.

'Is there nothing I can do?' she wondered. He grabbed her arms and pulled her closer. Her head was hanging backwards since she was not able to keep it up, leaving her neck exposed.

"Such a fine neck, how I'd love to rip it open, but then your soul would be lost along with all that beautiful power that I can suck up," he growled lowly, "so I guess I'll just have to make a small incision here in your arm and drink your blood. Not to every demon it's beneficial to consume priests and priestesses, but my kind has acquired a taste for it."

He pressed his nail against her skin and tore it open. A thin line of blood started to trickle down to her right hand.

"Lovely red, blood like velvet, down... down it all... in my throat," he sang while he reached inside a pouch hidden in the folds of his clothes for a cup.

He placed her in a position where she could watch him. Her expression was blank, but inside she was horrified. Was there nothing that she could do to help herself out of this predicament? He was now pressing the cup under the puncture letting blood collect inside. The touch of the cold metal cup against her arm made her shiver inside.

She remembered the monks who taught her _shinkei seigyo:_ nerve control technique. A technique learnt long ago from Shaolin monks on the mainland in the time the Order's operations were still wide spread.

'Start with the easiest to control, the muscles. Feel aware of them. You have about forty tendons and twenty muscles in the hand, but need only seventeen of them to actually move your hand,' she recalled Kodama's words. She knew those muscles, she focused on her left hand, but she couldn't make out if she could twitch them or not. Meanwhile Yoshida cackled as he watched the cup slowly fill, ever so pleased with himself that his plan worked out this well.

Haruna tried to move her hand another time.

'The tendons of the flexor digitorum profundus are across all four fingers except for the thumb,' she told herself in thought, 'they come together on the base of the wrist'. She could imagine their location, she was willing them to move. Her fingers twitched involuntarily, luckily Yoshida didn't notice. The small cup was halfway filled.

'My heart is beating too hard, this will make the blood rush faster through my system. Have no fear, master your emotions,' she told herself and recited a Buddhist charm from the Yung method passed down in the sanctuary to calm herself. Haruna could feel it take effect, it felt as though she was preparing to meditate. She regained movement of her eyes. Yoshida looked up at her face.

"O-ho! So you can move your eyes? You're quite feisty aren't you? I didn't expect you'd be able to withstand my Freezing Eye technique, it won't do you any good however," Yoshida chuckled. He cupped her chin and brought his face close to hers. She stared back into his eyes with as much anger as she could convey with them.

"You priestesses and monks are so full of yourselves, killing demons as easy as the cattle you own or the weeds you cut down. But you see, someday you'll meet your better. It's the natural order of things. There's always someone stronger and smarter than yourself who'll become your downfall," Yoshida spoke into her ear. He gave her a wicked smile when he pulled away. He held the cup before her as if he was going to toast and then drank it all at once. She could move her hand slightly to her side. Where was the katana? She dropped it when she fell over. She tried to search the ground with her eyes when Yoshida wasn't paying attention. Where was it? Soon she found it: so close, yet so far. Just a feet away from her, but as paralyzed as she was right now it was a distance she couldn't cover. Yoshida was humming a rhythm while he pressed the cup against her wound another time. Meanwhile Mizuhebiza didn't regain consciousness and Yoshida didn't seem worried about it either. Knowing the deity wasn't dead she wished the dragon would be able to resist the spell and sutra charms.

'Just wake up, dammit!'

* * *

Sesshomaru arrived at the town. People gasped and ran away when he approached, only the guards stood still, holding their pikes.

"D-d-d-don't come a-any closer demon!" the same guard who had intimidated the villagers stuttered at Sesshomaru. He didn't pay heed to their senseless threats and continued his way.

"Move," he single wordily commanded. The guard responded by bringing his pike closer to Sesshomaru's chest. The taiyokai grabbed the wooden bar and snapped in effortlessly like a twig, then he pushed the guard away making him land five yards away into the hands of his fellow guards.

"Move, I won't tell you again," Sesshomaru growled at them. They nodded their heads in understanding and hurriedly ran away out of Sesshomaru's sight. A woman was kneeling next to a hut, half behind a cart with hay bales. Sesshomaru stopped and looked at her. Jaken ran out in front of him.

"Where's the priestess Haruna, woman? Lord Sesshomaru demands to know!" he screeched.

"Out on the lake," she mouthed inaudibly, with her eyes closed, not daring to look at them. She trembled with fear. Demons! Demons in their village!

"Where you say?" Jaken yelled, holding his staff threateningly.

"Out on the lake," she repeated a little louder, but barely more than a whisper.

"I don't hear you!" the imp said, not having a canine hearing ability such as his master.

"Enough Jaken, we'll continue," Sesshomaru told him annoyed.

"Ah, owh- yes milord," Jaken hurriedly replied with his usual submissiveness. They left the woman dumbfounded. She had never expected she'd face two demons this close and live to tell about it.

"Jaken, fetch me a boat and do it quickly," the taiyokai continued as they walked down the road to the pier.

"Yes Lord Sesshomaru, right away," Jaken replied and ran forward. When he got to the pier there was someone hiding in the boat.

"Get out you fool! Lord Sesshomaru needs to use this," he yelled at the poor man who held his arms around his head while he ran away from the two demons. Sesshomaru hardly glanced at the man. Jaken was trying to untie the boat from the pier as fast as he could muster.

"It's ready, milord," he said and bowed his head while Sesshomaru got inside the vessel. He gracefully stepped inside and Jaken stood in awe for a moment.

"Can you row, Jaken?" Sesshomaru asked after he sat down, lightly amused. Jaken hadn't moved from the pier.

"Ah-ah, sorry milord! Yes I can!" he replied flustered, he had been spacing off in thought for a second there. He used the human head staff to push the boat away from the pier and sat down to grab the rows. They were heavy and he was only a small imp, he pushed and pulled them to get the boat moving. Slowly the two demons were leaving the village behind. The townsfolk gathered some courage to peek at the demons leaving and wondered what was going to happen next.

"Sonny, the past week has been the most strange in my life," an old man with a bent back and a walking stick croaked to his grandson, "lord Yoshida working us to the bone, the deity demanding every provision and young woman we have. I've been carving wooden figures to honor the deity like there's no tomorrow! And now these demons… By the looks of it, that's a strong one. We are blessed we've lived to die another day."

Sesshomaru and Jaken entered the thick mists hanging above the water and soon the darkness enveloped them.

"What direction shall I row to, milord? The stars are hardly visible here."

"Just keep going straight, Jaken. Despite these fogs the stink of that demon can't escape my nose," he answered. His impish servant nodded and tried to row as fast he could.

* * *

Every minute that passed seemed like an hour to Haruna, but she felt she could fight the Freezing Eye as long as she avoided Yoshida's eyes and focused well.

'I have a chance if I can reach the katana.'

Her fingers trembled, she could bend them a little. The tips of her fingers scraped through the sand.

"This is a good appetizer before I take over Mizuhebiza," Yoshida growled satisfied.

Voices drifted to the island from the distance.

'Jaken? Sesshomaru?' she thought shocked. Although she tried to control her feelings, her heart sprang. Hope! Yoshida heard the voices too. With a scowl he turned his head, trying to peer into the mist to locate the unwanted visitors.

'Now!' Haruna screamed to herself in her mind. Her muscles ached, trying to resist the signals she gave them. Her arm scraped over the sand, getting closer and closer to her sword. Yoshida wasn't looking at her. Almost… Almost! She gazed intensely at her hand from the corner of her eye, her fingers graced the hilt. Yoshida would get what he deserved! He sensed something was amiss, he raised his clawed hand towards Haruna without looking at her, stretching the fingers like a blade, ready to strike her down if he had to. She clenched the hilt of the sword. The muscles in her arm felt white-hot, painful. Yoshida turned his head back to face her. His eyes trailed her body and saw she was holding the sheathed blade, his face contorted into a menacing scowl. Too late! She flung herself up with her arm lifted and hit him square in the face. Yoshida's flesh melted and burned. He screamed and backed away, closing his eyes. His hold over her body had been lifted, she could move again. She scrambled backwards across the sand and stood up, shaky on her feet like a new born deer.

"Sesshomaru-sama!" she yelled. Yoshida realizing she had back-up lurched forward to her.

"You witch!" he spat. She parried him with the katana. He tried to kick her off her feet. Although he had only possessed a human body, the strength of his demon spirit alone could deform human flesh and make the lord stronger than he'd ever normally be. Haruna jumped back. The demon Yoshida's arm sizzled where it had met with Haruna's katana.

"I'm not done yet!" Haruna growled, finding new strength now the odds turned in her advantage. She took a sutra charm from her reserve inside her kimono and threw it at the demon, hoping she could drive him out of the body of the human. Lightning crackled at the impact and he growled when he involuntarily paced back. Haruna panted and clutched her hurt arm. Yoshida regained his composure quicker than she had expected and scratched the air. Her eyes widened in shock, black blades of energy were flying in her direction. She tensed her legs but felt she might be too slow. The blades were nearing… just a second… she braced herself. But then a green whip soared through the sky and deflected the attack. Sesshomaru landed in front of her.

"Stay back," he spoke chillingly as he gave Yoshida a deadly glare. The blades hit the water surface and caused an explosion. The water sprung up and drizzled down on them. Yoshida trembled with sudden fear at the look of this terrible taiyokai in front of him. Sesshomaru stepped forward drawing bakusaiga.

"Please don't destroy the human along with him!" Haruna exclaimed.

"Hn?... Foolish," Sesshomaru replied. He was ready to strike down. But Yoshida could predict what fate would befall him if he stayed in this weak shell. He ejected his spirit and raced towards Mizuhebiza's body. Yoshida returned to his normal self and slumped down unconscious. With the little strength the demon possessed he tore the sutra charms that paralyzed the dragon off and entered the body. It spasmed by the sudden intrusion, but after a few seconds it stopped and Mizuhebiza's yellow eyes flashed red. The demon laughed madly.

"I have done it! I have possessed the body of a deity!" he roared, "finally after losing my own body I can become complete once more! A week ago a black shadow tried to kill me when I was resting, I was only just able to flee. Now I can hunt him down for my revenge."

"Black shadow?" Sesshomaru repeated, slightly squinting his eyes at the mention.

"Yes, I'll never forget what it looked like. It could shapeshift into a puddle or a demon."

"Where did it go to?" Sesshomaru continued.

"Why are you interested? Well, it doesn't matter. I can just as well enlighten you since you're close to crushed! It went into the direction of mount Fuji."

Haruna held her breath for a moment. That was the same direction they were heading! She could feel this spelled danger.

"And now... I'll deliver you the final blow!" he exclaimed. Mizuhebiza's lips curled into an evil grin. Suddenly his expression changed into confusion.  
"W-wait! No! My revenge... I'm not done yet!"

Sesshomaru noticed a change in the dragon's body. The eyes turned yellow and red, back and forth. An inner struggle was ongoing: Mizuhebiza's own soul was battling with the intruder. Sesshomaru watched the fight without intervening. When the enemy demon's spirit was cast out he leaped forward. However fast the demon was, he could not outspeed Sesshomaru. The taiyokai flew before him and slashed Bakusaiga down. He cut through the demon ghost like through smoke, but since he wasn't dead Bakusaiga could harm him. The green flashes from bakusaiga sparked through the air around and through him, and he vanished into thin air with a loud yelp.

"You're amazing as always Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken praised him. Sesshomaru soared down back to the island, his hair and clothes fluttering in the wind. He sheathed his sword in mid-air and landed on the beach. Haruna looked at him. She realized how thankful she should be he arrived at the right moment, and he came for her!

"Thank you for coming for me, Sesshomaru," she said with a small smile. She looked him in his amber eyes.

"You have yet to show me the way to this Order of yours, girl," he replied. She raised her eyerbrows and then frowned. Haruna put a hand on her hips.

"Owh? So you mean to say you didn't _want_ to help me, but did so because I'm still useful to you?" she exclaimed. He remained silent and glared at her with mild surprise. This woman seemed insulted at the idea that _he_, Lord of the West, didn't come for _her, _a mere woman, out of care, but simply because of unfinished business.

"By the way, my name isn't girl or woman, but _Ha-ru-na._ Remember it please," she continued. That irritated face. He did have to admit the woman had spunk, standing up to him after he just displayed how easily he could kill. She was also more enduring in battle than most human fighters he had come across in his long life. He couldn't place why, but her outburst kind of amused him.

"Be grateful he came, idiot!" Jaken screeched back at her, always ready to defend his lord when others were rude to him, "next time don't wander off on your own!"

"Why don't you come with me? Might be good for you, helping someone once a while," she retorted. Her inner-self sighed. It was impossible to stay irritated for long, she was too relieved for that. Her annoyance went as quick as it came.

'I'm such a dork letting that demon catch me off guard. Next time I'll kill the yokai immediately and try not to be a burden to others… But say, I found myself dependable and strong companions.'

She stared at Sesshomaru's profile who was facing Mizuhebiza. For the first time it crossed her mind that the lord was also kind of... handsome. Her eyes softened without her noticing.

Someone moaned behind her, she snapped her head towards the direction of the sound: it was the true lord Yoshida, he was regaining consciousness. She hurried over and squatted down, helping Yoshida to sit up.

"Are you okay?" Haruna asked.

"I feel like I've been in asleep for a long time, caught in a nightmare…" he groaned and rubbed his eyes.

"I guess you could say that's true, but it will be okay now," Haruna replied and tried to give him a comforting smile.

"I might've been immobile but I perceived everything that happened," the dragon deity spoke, "the demon made a fatal mistake trying to possess a deity, such arrogance. I have understood I have been tricked. But one thing caught my attention… He mentioned he had been attacked by a creature of shadow. It appears we met the same foe."

"You've come across the Sa'keeth?" Jaken asked.

"Sa'keeth... yes, that's an old name I vaguely remember. Not one, but multiple…" Mizuhebiza answered, "they came during the twilight. I was under the surface of the water but saw several black shadows race across the water, feeling they were a threat to the town I emerged and engaged in battle with them. I warn you if you seek them out, they aren't normal demons. I had to resort to my powers as deity to destroy them."

"You killed them all?" Sesshomaru inquired.

"No, I could not. I killed three who stayed to fight me, the others escaped across the lake in the direction of mount Fuji."

"Hnn," Sesshomaru replied. He turned around and walked back to the boat. Jaken ran towards the shoreline and bowed several times to the deity on Sesshomaru's behalf, knowing his master would never bow to someone else. Then Yoshida's mind was clear enough to notice he was on the sacred island and the shrine had been destroyed.

"Forgive me, Mizuhebiza-sama!" he exclaimed horrified and joined Jaken bowing even more deeply, "how could we let your shrine be destroyed?"

"It's fine Yoshida, you can build me a new one, but I'll do without offerings for another season," the dragon told him, remembering how greedy his demands had been the past days. They all stepped inside the boat, lord Yoshida rather uncomfortable for being with other demons in one vessel.

"One more thing before you depart," the dragon spoke turning to Haruna, "you fought me well priestess, but if my eyes don't betray me I daresay you're not ready for such a weapon."

He pointed at her sword. She looked at him surprised. If it wasn't for the katana she would've been dead probably. What was the old dragon saying? She kicked his ass with it! She frowned and slowly nodded. They departed, Jaken being the one handling the oars once more.

"Finish your dealings here soon, miko. We'll leave once you're done," Sesshomaru said. Haruna had half-expected he would want to leave immediately. Although she didn't show, inwardly she was quite happy. He had accepted to wait for her.

'Seems he respects my decision to come here after all.'

* * *

A/N: Inspiration for the nerve control technique comes from _prana bindu_ out of the book _Dune_. Wonder who thought about that x) I really liked reading Dune. Freezing Eye technique is a cheesy name isn't it... sorry I couldn't think of something better. I haven't had many biology classes by the way, I googled the stuff about muscles in the hand.  
Seems Haruna and Sesshomaru are warming up to each other a little ;)


	13. Chapter 13: Clash With A Shadow Beast

Chapter Thirteen

The monks of the Order respectfully waited for their master, adverting their eyes from his meditating form to allow him the peace he needed to track down Haruna. He had his straw hat removed, but he never took off the orange cloth wrapped around his forehead. Not all the monks that were with him on this journey were informed of all his secrets. Katsuo, Rikumaru and Zenshi had only their own guesses about what was hiding underneath that bandana. However, the monks believed firmly that they knew everything they needed to and never tried to find out more. The loyality to the Order was deeply ingrained in each member's heart.

"Haruna is heading back to the sanctuary, her course is mount Fuji," Kodama said to his band of monks after he was done. He got up to his feet and dusted his clothes.

"Perhaps she has reconciled with her duties to the Order?" Jinsei replied.

"Whatever her motive, this could both be in our advantage and to our loss. High priestess Mei reported that the crystal which corresponds to the gate has shattered. Our enemy is on the loose."

The other monks nodded sternly, understanding their dire situation. They had to retrieve the scroll which contained important information needed to effectively fight the Sa'keeth. They trusted in the skills of the other monks who remained at Yamanakako, but the Sa'keeth would surely try to locate their temple and attack.

"We must chase Haruna like hounds."

"Master?" Yuhi said behind him. He turned around to face the middle-aged monk.

"I'm familiar with these mountains, my birth town is not far away. If we want to reach the sanctuary fastest we could go through a tunnel I'm aware of in that mountain over there."

He pointed out which of the three peaks ahead he meant.

"It is a familiar shortcut also used by the townsmen. A priest used to bless it, restraining most demons from being able to enter. It should be as safe as any other path."

"Are you sure about this? How much shorter is it?" Kodama inquired.  
"I've used it myself on different occasions, Kodama-sama. The townsfolk used half a day less traveling to get to the town on the other side," Yuhi answered.

Kodama was thinking. If they went around these mountains it would take them more than a day. The terrain was rough and unknown to him. Currently all extra hours possibly gained were a blessing. Perhaps he would be able to intercept Haruna, this would be good fortune indeed. He had to convince her to go through the initiation. If she would survive... she would become a terrible foe to the Sa'keeth. The initiation process deepened the understanding of one's inner-works and the depth of one's spirituality... fragments of the past would be exposed. To some with the right genes, their link to the Sa'keeth become unquestionable. The initiation was quite simple: a candidate would be brought before the highest priest or priestess in rank and be given a concoction to drink. The concoction contained a potent drug that would instantly make the drinker fall into a deep trance. The candidate would travel through the depths of their mind, haunted by hallucinations, suddenly aware they've been given poison if they don't adapt their body to the circumstances. S_hinkei seigyo_, the nerve control technique, would be a stepping stone giving the candidate the _possibility _to overcome_._If unsuccessful at fighting the alien substance… they would die...

The right genes. Kodama had the right DNA, the blood of centuries of monks ran through his veins, and so did Wakana. In Haruna he expected it to run even thicker. And that's why the Order needed her. That combination of genetic material was the formula to deterring and understanding the Sa'keeth. Wakana, Haruna's mother, had been given the duty of Gatekeeper. She held one of the four artifacts created by the founders of the Order and Inu no Gyakusatsu: the Necklace of Transcendence. It was a hard blow to their organization that the necklace had been lost and Lady Wakana died. The connection they once had established with Inu no Gyakusatsu and his kin had watered down to nothing. The new heir of the Inu-clan had never shown after Inu no Taisho's death. All these ill fortunes raised the necessity to find a suitable member to the Order. Kodama firmly believed Haruna's abilities were needed. He regretted that he didn't prepare a flask of the concoction before going on his quest. Haruna might die from the poison, but it was a risk he was prepared to take... if it could mean sparing the world of a great danger. If the Sa'keeth managed to arrive at the temple before he did it might proof hard to brew it...

'Lady Wakana...'

A bitter taste in his mouth, a tinge of sadness. The burden of the high priest... He quickly tucked away those useless emotions.  
Kodama's train of thought only lasted a few minutes. He had decided: he would have to utilize the opportunity of crossing roads with Haruna. They were going to enter the tunnel.

* * *

It was the break of dawn and the rain poured down on them. They had crossed the distance of the lake and looking below Sesshomaru spotted some strange markings. He descended and Ah-Un followed him. From fifty yards high with the rain running across her face Haruna could not see what caught his attention. Now, getting closer to the ground, she saw the spots too. It looked like black colored blood. What was even stranger... it didn't wash away with the rain.

Sesshomaru walked closer to the spots. He stood still, observing, taking in his surrounding. The scents here were normal, nothing out of the ordinary. Yet... these spots lay thick and unharmed by the rain on the ground, the grass in direct contact with it brown and dead. Something unfamiliar... unnatural. The drops were each separated by a feet or less, a trail running towards the forest ahead. He tried to distinct the scent unique to the stuff and to his surprise there was none. It was as though the substance had taken over the features of its surrounding, smelling like grass and dirt. Haruna stood next to Sesshomaru. She recognized what she was seeing. These were miniature versions of the puddle in the bear-clan cave.

"The same tarry fluid. The Sa'keeth must be wounded, I'm guessing it was due to the deity's attack," she said to the stoic taiyokai.

"The trail runs into the forest, but it has no scent. I'll follow it nonetheless and see what we are dealing with," he responded.

"I agree, that is a good idea." She hovered with her head above one of the markings.

"Strange how this stuff corresponds to its surrounding. It can't be washed away and it killed the grass. It will be easy to track the wounded one down if everything it touches is damaged like the grass here."

The splashes held no reflection. It was black viscous darkness. She remembered how it ran up her hand when she touched it. She spread her hands above the area.

"I'll purify them."

She emitted spiritual energy through her hands and the splashes diminished in size, bubbling and vanishing into gray smoke. Sesshomaru stared at the process wondering what type of enemy would have blood like this. They continued on foot in silence, Jaken following them on Ah-Un. The forest's growth was thick here. A roof of leaves shielded the light and to their luck also most of the rain. Once a while a drop fell on their heads or it rained through gaps. The air was filled with the scent of wet earth and plants. The mossy ground under them muffled their footsteps. An exotic bird called in the distance hidden in the branches. Sesshomaru outwardly looked calm as ever, but his heightened canine senses caught the details around him: the squirrel that was hiding in the tree, the fox burrow up ahead, the river that coursed through the forest quarter of a mile away from them. A different smell entered his nostrils... metallic and salty... and decaying. A dead animal. They were walking straight towards it. A few minutes later they entered a small clearing, close to the fox burrow.

"Oh... that's so cruel... poor thing," Haruna mumbled.

A fox was lying on her side, tongue hanging from her mouth, her beady light brown eyes unseeing. A large gap had been taken from her ribs, exposing half broken bones and ripped flesh. Flies were sitting on the wound. Laying eggs and eating. A strong rotting smell drifted her way.

"It was killed without use... Just for the heck of it..." she continued, "it's strange... Animals usually don't kill each other off like this."

"Hnn," Sesshomaru responded. Whoever was hungry decided fox meat wasn't eatable. He looked around and spotted the other signs of a passenger. A broken twig, the shallow imprint of a clawed foot in the moss, the black fluid sticking to the leaves of a bush where it had passed.

"It went this way," he told Haruna, pointing at the liquid she could purify.

"This bush is also showing signs of death," she muttered under her breath when she started to remove the smudges. The edges of the leaves were yellowing and brittle.

A sound from far off caught Sesshomaru's attention. A loud crashing. He decided he needed a better view and jumped up the tree branches to get to the top of the forest deck. Haruna jumped back on Ah-Un and flew up together with Jaken. She pushed away the branches that hit her as they flew up before breaking through the canopy. Now Haruna too heard the loud snapping of a breaking tree, groaning before it crashed to the ground. About a mile removed several trees were getting bulldozed by something. They could both feel a weak demonic aura. Sesshomaru jumped forward from tree to tree and Ah-Un followed in the air. He landed on top of a rock formation that sticked out just a few yards above the tree line. The plateau was large enough for Ah-Un to land on and Haruna left the safety of the two-headed dragon's back. Sesshomaru looked ahead, aware of every movement in the thicket. Haruna saw how the treetops gave way and crashed down with an ear deafening drum, but the source of this purposeless rampage was still hidden. Clearly however they were standing in it's path. The sounds died down. A deep quiet fell over the forest. A threatening aura was filling the atmosphere, making the hairs in her neck stand. Sesshomaru could sense she was readying herself for something to happen. He could smell the beast: it reeked of decay, it reeked of... something feral, with the intention to kill. Rustling in the bushes... his eyes focused on it, knowing he was watched back. Two black tentacles shot out of hiding, speeding towards Haruna and Sesshomaru standing on the rock.

'Fast,' Sesshomaru thought, quickly drawing his sword. The tentacles changed course and collided with the rock under their feet, the impact made the ground under them shake. The rock split and crumbled down in big chunks. Sesshomaru seemed unaffected, standing firm on the shifting piece that started to fall down. Haruna and Sesshomaru were separated, she tried to keep standing up using _shinkei seigyo_ but the shocks coursing through the piece of rock were so violent she was unable to. She fell to her knees with her palms on the rock and peered over the ledge. The tentacles were being retracted. Dust rose up from the collapsing rock formation entering her airways when she inhaled, stinging her eyes.

"Sesshomaru-sama! Haruna!" Jaken screamed from above. The moment the tentacles made impact Ah-Un carried him up to a safe distance.

Sesshomaru noticed Haruna was in danger. He quickly made his way to her and grabbed her waist. He pulled her close to him with his free arm while he was holding Bakusaiga with his other.

A shock coursed through Haruna's body when Sesshomaru leaped down and instantly picked her up. Or... was it because she had never been this close to him before? The grip of his arm was strong but not suffocating. Her side was pressed against his hard armor. Always distant and cold... Sesshomaru, Lord of the West... His chest heaved up and down calmly behind that iron plate, he was not at all impressed by the attack. Sesshomaru... came to rescue her again.

Sesshomaru noticed how tensed Haruna was. He perceived the smell of her fear by the sudden fierceness of the attack. But now she was relaxing... the smell of fear faded... the scent of almond oil from her recently washed hair and the rain clinging to her clothes remained. He smoothly landed on the ground and let her down. The tentacles were hanging motionless in mid-air. They bubbled and thick blobs glided down, sometimes falling to the ground, as though they were bleeding. Out of the bushes small dancing tentacles appeared before finally the creature moved into their sight, stepping out in the open. It was a bear yokai, in full form, resembling a six yards high grizzly bear. Two bloodshot eyes stared at them with pupils widened. It's entire body was covered in a deep black slime, bubbling, globs running down the sides of its body and disappearing back into its flesh. Wherever the normal body of the yokai was visible blood seeped out of his fur. The slime vibrated and took the shape of several elongated worms growing out of its back. They twisted and knitted together to form six pair of arms… Hand palms and then fingers appeared out of the ends. A rumbling noise came from deep in the bear yokai's throat and rose to a high pitched screech that made Haruna's ears ring. This creature... was made of darkness... was it one of the Sa'keeth the wise woman had warned them about?

"Hate... I hate... I'm filled with hate... You are living and breathing in the sunlight while I've been in the shadows too long..." a deep growling voice said to them. The tentacles shot forward so fast Haruna's eyes were barely able to keep track. Sesshomaru jumped forward and slashed down Bakusaiga, the sword crackled with green flashes, but the tentacles were not cut. Some blood splatter fell down to the ground, but the viscous material was flexible and strong. Sesshomaru was alarmed. He changed the course of the attack but it didn't have the effect he expected. Ever since acquiring Bakusaiga there hadn't been a living thing in his path able to resist it's devastating power. He regarded it as his strongest weapon, his very own, grown out of his previously lost arm when he matured as a demon. Yet here it had no effect.

Two of the tentacles retracted while the other four started to whirl around Sesshomaru, trying to entrap him. The other two went after Haruna. She focused her energy on her legs and jumped aside, feeling the wind as they nearly hit her face. Her feet scraped across the ground as she threw a couple of sutra charms at them. They stuck on the arms of the beast. She held her middle and index finger up and formed an 'o' with the others.

_"Hikari no Kiyome!"_ she exclaimed. The letters of the sutra incantation lit up and a white light began to spread through the tentacles, purifying them. The beast simply discarded the part of its arms where Haruna's attack was breaking them down. The stump that remained bubbled and globs splattered down on the earth. Meanwhile Sesshomaru was fending off the four tentacles which came after him, dealing only minor damage. The ground was slowly dotted with splashes of the Sa'keeth's viscous blood, but the beast itself was tireless. He was on the offensive and enjoyed seeing the distress written on the priestess' face and the stoic yokai's mild annoyance.

"All the fear you have inside now cannot compare to what your ancestors did to my family. No pain can ever compare, no death too cruel," he viciously growled.

"Sesshomaru-sama, we have to change strategy!" Haruna exclaimed. He ran forward, dodging the tentacles which crashed down in the ground around him. He jumped and striked the beast on it's forehead with Bakusaiga. The Sa'keeth grunted and the lightning from Bakusaiga started to spread across his body. The viscous slime moved across his back and gathered under the sword in defense. The air was static from the discharge of Sesshomaru's weapon. Their power was equally matched. Sesshomaru frowned lightly as he added more power to his attack. He realized the Sa'keeth tried to avoid him from hitting the bear yokai's body that was covered by slime. With an effort the creature repelled Sesshomaru. The taiyokai soared through the sky and landed close to Haruna.

"Maybe we should combine our attack?" she suggested.

"You may try," he responded, never leaving his eyes off the Sa'keeth. He sped forward without warning. Haruna tried to reach the monster from the left. A black arm shot straight at her. She ducked and slid across the earth. Haruna turned her head to the left... Sesshomaru was already close to the demon, he was about to attack. She quickly grabbed a few sutra charms and tossed them at the demon.

"_Hikari no Kiyome!_" she yelled another time. The demon shielded it's face with a tentacle before they could hit, but she tried to purify faster than he could discard his arm. The white light was spreading through his arm racing to his body... Sesshomaru lifted Bakusaiga...

The light of purification reached the demon's head at the same time Sesshomaru's Bakusaiga hit. The Sa'keeth screamed in pain. The slime was gathering on the back of the bear and there fell to the ground. It ran away from the body whose flesh was getting torn by the ripping attacks from Bakusaiga, tearing it apart. Only the blob remained. It bubbled... morphing into the shape of an orc's face and chest: the Sa'keeth's true form. Two clawed hands rose from the puddle. He placed them next to his torso as though he was planning to push himself up and out, but he collapsed trying. He fell on his side in the grass. His gray eyes first looked at Sesshomaru and then slowly turned to Haruna. His face twisted into a scowl.

"You! You are... the daughter of traitors... We'll pay you back with your own coin..." he gurgled.

"Traitors, what do you mean?" Haruna asked walking closer.

"All we wanted was to be left in peace... but your kind abandoned us, provoked us... All there is now is hate. We shall drench this world in our hate." He glared up at her. Suddenly his arm elongated and shot up at Haruna's chest. He aimed straight for her heart...

* * *

A/N: Thank you for coming so far to read chapter 13!  
Is the pace in which things progress alright? Sometimes it's difficult to understand from the writer's POV. If you would be so kind to review and let me know what you think, that'd be great ^_^  
~ Demiyah


	14. Chapter 14: Somewhere Warm

Chapter Fourteen

Kodama and his fellows passed one town on the foot of the mountain and walked up a stone stairs a mile away to the tunnel entrance. Yuhi was right, this tunnel seemed quite favored, even deserving a paved path leading to it. Dark clouds overhung, the smell of rain.

"It will storm, we won't be bothered by it inside luckily," Masao said.

The gaping black hole that formed the entrance to the cave tunnel appeared in their sight. A wooden shrine was build next to it, containing a small statue of Buddha. Yuhi took an incence stick out of his bag and placed it in the bowl of sand in front of the statue. He lit it with the fire stones he owned and murmured a prayer. The other monks followed his example.

"The shrine contains a hidden cabinet in which pre-made torches are stored, if I'm not mistaken," he said whilst kneeling down. He touched the wooden surface with his fingers until he found the edge of the hidden door. He pressed his fingernails into the wood to pull it open. It was dusty inside and dry, a few cobwebs hanging inside the cabinet. He took out two toches. The upper half was wrapped in cloth that had been drenched in oil to get them to burn quicker. He hit the two fire stones against each other close to the cloth and a spark flew up landing on the torch. He blew air softly to get the fire going.

"Nice work, Yuhi," Kodama told him. Yuhi inwardy smiled happy he was getting praise from the otherwise stern Kodama.

He gave one of the torches to Jinsei and held the other himself. Kodama stared at the black hole in front of him and closed his eyes. He couldn't feel anything wrong. No demonic aura.

"Does this tunnel lead in a straight path to the other side, Yuhi?" he asked.

"No," the monk replied, "but the villagers put signs inside to help choose the right path. So it shouldn't be a problem. It takes about six hours to walk to the other side."

It was quite a long journey through the belly of the mountain. They had best to start. Kodama entered the darkness and his companions followed suit. The tunnel was about 4 yards high and 4 yards wide, the ceiling shaped like an arch. Humans made this entrance. It must've taken them weeks to cut the rock into this shape. They walked on and soon entered a cavern. Stalactites were hanging from the ceiling. They stepped down the rocks that had been scoured and flattened by humans to their own comfort. At a lower level of the cavern they found two possible roads to take.

Yuhi quickly walked over to a pile of flat stones ordened by size in a cone-shape with a white cloth half-way between them.

"This is the sign. I knew it should be here, but I'm relieved nonetheless to see it has not been removed. We have to go this way then."

* * *

Haruna saw the elongated hand making its way towards her heart, but it was too fast for her to dodge. She gritted her teeth automatically. Sesshomaru, in the blink of an eye, caught the Sa'keeth's wrist only half a foot away from Haruna's heart. He clenched it hard to disable the Sa'keeth from elongating it any further. He stared at the monster ruthlessly. Haruna sperred her eyes open and gasped, clenching her fist. Her chest ached at the thought that she was almost impaled by the Sa'keeth's hand. Sesshomaru used his poison claw technique to erode the Sa'keeth's wrist. It's skin burst and blood splattered on the ground. The otherwordly demon chuckled.

"This pain is nothing... We've been stuck in a world, between dark and day, becoming poison ourselves!" He spat and exposed his glazy black fangs. His arm was shaking from resisting Sesshomaru's attack. Even on his deathbed the Sa'keeth was ferocious. Without thinking Haruna grabbed the Sa'keeth's arm herself. She stared into his eyes, hiding deep under his heavy brow. Red specked and with slit pupils. His skin felt like a lizard's. She started to form a few hand signs with her free hand. Just a touch... white light seeped into the creature's body... visibly coursing through his veins. She was purifying him. Black smoke rose up from his body. He was vaporizing into thin air.

"Those hand signs..." he growled arduously while he slowly disappeared, "you belong to that band of clowns called the Order don't you? We're coming for you... Just you wait..."

All that remained of the Sa'keeth's existence was fleeting smoke.

It started to rain harder, the sky roared. A thunderstorm was ahead. The rain streamed down her face, her hair and clothes were soaking wet. The red _hakama _pants clung to her legs. The katana pressing against her thigh radiated coldness. Now that she was standing still and the adrenaline was fading she could feel her tiredness and the chill in the air. Haruna rubbed her arms with her hands to warm them and brushed away a strand of hair sticking to her cheek. Sesshomaru looked at her from the corner of his eyes, remaining silent. He finally sheathed his sword.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken came down on Ah-Un to meet them. He looked over his shoulder at his servant. Jaken jumped off the two-headed dragon and rolled over the ground before he came to an halt, right in front of Sesshomaru's feet.

"Ah-Un is ready, milord," he croaked a little dizzy and looked up at his master.

"Find us a place dry, Jaken," Sesshomaru told him.

"A dry place? We're not going to continue?"

"Isn't it obvious?" he replied glaring down.

"I'm s-sorry milord! I'll go right away!"

Jaken looked at the miko. She wasn't paying much attention to their conversation. The look on her face said she needed a little rest and warmth. The way she was hunching over and had her arms wrapped around her chest...

'A place dry, surely to warm and dry our clothes. Us demons are not bothered by the effects of the rain, so it's because of Haruna. We'll be delayed by the human again... My lord is so patient,' he grumbled in thought.

"Jaken."

"Yes! I'll be going, please be here when I return milord!"

Ah-Un let out a friendly growl when he saw Jaken approach to get on his back. He hopped onto the dragon's saddle and took hold of the reigns. Haruna was walking to the rubble of the rock formation. The way the boulders landed on top of eachother offered her at least some protection from the rain. Sesshomaru watched her go, one foot after another placed almost with perfection, with the grace of someone trained to fight in close combat if they needed to. The fabric of the _hakama_ that sticked to her slender legs revealed her strong calves. Someone put effort into training those legs and teaching her that level of control. She knelt down and put her arms around herself. One moment a fierce fighter, the other just a woman. He watched her without saying a word. A feeling rose inside him... curiosity? He didn't know all that much about this miko. Even from where he was standing he could see she shivered. He walked over to her calmly and stood next to her.

"You must have trained for a long time, priestess," he stated.

"Heh..." she half-smiled, "I'm glad you notice, because I have. I've been training to reach member-status of the Order all my life."

"Then why did you leave?" Sesshomaru continued, looking at her with his amber eyes. Her expression held something sad.

"You know... I was born inside the monastry. My mother broke the Vow of Celibacy. They made an exception letting her keep me. If it would've been any other woman I would've been given away for adoption. Sometimes I wonder what my life would've been like then. Simple, I presume. I'd gussy up every festival, I'd learn a profession such as seamstress or basket weaver. A normal girl... After my mother died I convinced myself that the temple was all I needed in my life. For a while I was quite content living this way... But I was wrong. I realized I was being trained to become a tool to the Order. When I aged past puberty I desired to see what other options there were in life, what was outside the boundaries of my small world."

Now that she started, it was as though her tongue moved by itself. The words came out one by one and her story unfolded to Sesshomaru. He was hearing her in silence, staring out into the rain. Well... whether he was interested or not... it felt good getting it off her chest.

"I learnt about my mother's past and found out there was a time she had not been so loyal to the temple. I thought that, perhaps, like me she was born within the temple but this was not the case. She had grown up in a different temple. A young monk looking for talent travelled to her location and saw her skills. He invited her to Yamanakako where she could train even further. Back then she lived far away from this region, up in the north. It took them two weeks to travel back. On their way they got to know each other and fell in love... But they had both promised to Buddha, their relationship was forbidden. Despite the controversities they kept seeing eachother at night, sneaking out of their individual dormitories. Ahh well... what am I telling you... you're probably not even interested," she sighed.

"You may talk if you want, priestess," he replied looking at her for a moment.

"It so happened she got pregnant and they decided to flee. They ran away back to my mother's region. For half a year I believe they lived in hiding until Kodama found them living as farmers in a town. Kodama-sama convinced them to head back to the temple, despite her pregnancy. And she got me! My father, being a priest, had to go on missions and he died during one. I was only two. After that my mother completely devoted herself to the Order."

She remained silent for a moment. Memories of long ago...

_A young girl was crying, running towards her mother. Wakana was fanning a fire under an iron pan, ready to start making diner for herself, high priestess Mei and her six-year old._

"_What's wrong, Haruna?" she asked softly and knelt down to the child's level to envelope her frail body in her comforting arms. She was wearing a miniature version of the priestess' robes, but her pants were orange instead of red, signifying the child did not hold the status of miko yet._

"_T-they... They don't let me... play with them," she said between her sobs, "they t-tell me... I'm an outsider."_

"_Aw sweety, and you just wanted to make friends," she hushed the child._

"_Yes!" young Haruna cried out, tears trickling down her face, "they're all stupid!"_

"_You must forgive them, Haruna. They've only ever seen you in the company of the monks. It's only since recently that you are allowed to go down the path to Yamanakako yourself. They just have to get used to you."_

"_B-but..." her voice trembled._

"_My dear child... Anger, fear, they are rudimental emotions that everyone knows. It's easy to feel pity on yourself, to feel self-righteous, to be mad at others, to avoid difficult situations. But it's harder to understand people, to feel compassion. Kindness is like a candle that can light up even the darkest heart, that's what I believe. Haruna, sweety... Be patient and kind, true to yourself, and have confidence. Then people will like you eventually, always."_

'Back then, mother's words were complicated and I didn't understand exactly what she wanted of me. But I was impressed anyway. She had stared at me with gentle care, piercing right through me. Looking back, I understand what she was thinking. And she was right... Anger and fear, they are easy. Lying on the surface of our human instincts. I would like to be someone with compassion... It's just not always that simple.'

She thought about the Sa'keeth. When she touched him she could feel the malice in his heart like a dagger to her own. The kids in Yamanakako eventually turned round and she became friends with Cho, Sakura and Ryouta. She was always different, but they accepted her regardless. But this Sa'keeth... he was filled with a hatred that consumed him. Unlike any she had ever felt. He wasn't human, neither like any demon she knew. If she had to choose between killing him to defend what she loved or showing kindness to cure that hatred... She knew she would kill him without hesitation. But who was she to decide what was justice? Why should souls lost in the dark be forsaken? He talked about betrayal... She wondered what happened to him that made him turn out this way. At the same time, she couldn't forgive him for the slaughter she had witnessed in the bear-yokai's cave... Couldn't forgive him for threatening what was precious to her. Things are hardly ever straightforward and simple. Haruna didn't hold the answers.

'Mother, what would you have done?' she thought to herself.

"My mother was kind... She had a good heart. Most of the monks have... But they are also bound to their duties. And thus... She left one day and never returned. My parent's did their best to give to the world, to protect everyone. I often came second. I loved my mother. At times she felt near, but she was shrouded in mystery at the same time. I was too young to understand. When she passed away I was the only child inside the monastry... I felt lost for a while... and training became my anchor. Kodama-sama was tough on me, perhaps I needed it back then. But my rebelliousness is hard to expel, you see... I don't want to lead a life holding the hands of others, having them decide about me, losing my own responsibility to them. I want to make my _own_ decisions, my _own_ mistakes."

Haruna swallowed. She felt a lump rise in her throat. The turmoil inside... her pain went deeper than she had expected. When was the last time she had talked so openly about her past to someone? Why did she feel safe with the stoic taiyokai? He didn't even address her with her own name. She shivered from the cold.

'I've said enough. I'm letting my emotions get the better of me. I shouldn't let my memories confuse me now,' she thought to herself, 'Kodama-sama would be disappointed.'

For a moment a smile flashed on her face. Yes, the old monk was a strict teacher, but she respected him. He might mask it, but she felt he cared for her. She just didn't want him to decide for her on his own. Yes, she had stolen the scroll that her mother used to guard. The Gatekeeper's scroll. It was meant to belong to her eventually. Haruna understood she had driven a wedge between her and her old master that would not easily be bridged anymore. She shivered again and rubbed her arms, pulling her legs up a little closer to her body.

Something soft and warm wrapped itself around her back. She looked at her shoulder and a white puffy tail was lying there, crawling over her arm and resting on her knees. She looked up at Sesshomaru. His amber colored eyes were focused on something else, his expression held no apparent emotion.

"You are cold," he stated, "if you get sick it would not be in my benefit."

She chuckled a little at the excuse and felt Sesshomaru's warmth through her wet clothes. Sesshomaru eyed her discretely. Her eyes were soft now, smiling, the sadness had disappeared. Humans... They lead such different lives from demons. They burden themselves with so many worries. They care too much about their relations. He could understand better now than before... Having almost lost Rin, having lost Kagura... His heart was touched by grief and it changed him forever. But holding compassion was nonetheless not one of his traits. Yet, something about this priestess... He, Lord Sesshomaru, would offer her the warmth of his tail now, but it didn't mean anything, he told himself. He just wanted to avoid her getting a cold and becoming a burden to him.

"I could use some food. I wonder when Jaken will return," she said.

"Hnn," Sesshomaru responded.

The sky rumbled, clouds rolling over their heads. It was windy and it still rained. They weren't completely shielded from the weather's wrath. However... waiting under the overhanging rock, they both felt a little warmer, enjoying each other's presence in silence for the remainder of time until Jaken would return. Both of them were too used to hiding their truest feelings. They wouldn't show, but inside they were content with their present situation.


End file.
